


Hide and Seek

by Hiddeninplainview, Secretlysheikah



Series: Looming Shadows [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I tried writing some comfort, Im not great at it, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Little comfort, Sky (Linked Universe) Angst, Sky (Linked Universe) Has a Bad Time, Wild (Linked Universe) Angst, a bad game of hide and go seek, dark link is a bastard, there is comfort if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28868850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiddeninplainview/pseuds/Hiddeninplainview, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Secretlysheikah/pseuds/Secretlysheikah
Summary: Where the Hell are they? Who knows. But Wild has other things to worry about. Sky is one of those things.
Relationships: Sky & Wild (Linked Universe)
Series: Looming Shadows [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100867
Comments: 49
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for hanging in with me while I took a break! I hope you like the new arc as much as I do!

He was falling, falling, falling. Air ripped across his face and pulled a startled cry from his throat. Then suddenly he slowed, coming almost to a stop before he was falling the direction he just came from. Like gravity itself had reversed and now he was falling away from the ground and back into the air. That was until he slammed back first onto the ground. The air rushed out of his lungs painfully and he was left gasping.

Wild heard something else falling towards him and he had just enough time to roll out of the way of Sky who landed next to him with a solid thud. He scrambled away from the other boy, his eyes wide and his knee jerk reaction was to find a sword or anything to defend himself. Through a sheer battle of will he forced himself to stop and tried to think it through this new development. This was Sky, his fellow hero yes, but at the same time was he? Wild could recall the red gleam in his eyes as he held the sword to Twi’s throat, remembered how Sky’s eyes had looked dead and unfeeling. Wild shuddered at the memory. If he were to get close to Sky would he attack him or would he be back to normal? All these thoughts flew through his head so quickly that it left him feeling dizzy. 

Sky groaned but otherwise laid still, eyes closed. Wild didn’t know what to do except look around himself quickly to get the lay of the land. Everything looked familiar and foreign all at the same time. The trees that surrounded the spring, the rocks, the water, everything was there as he remembered it but it was also not as he remembered. The colors were wrong, like an inverse of a photo. Reds were greens, blues were purples but every color seemed muted to his eyes and the weird juxtaposition left him reeling. Another thing he noticed with a start was that it was just him and Sky. Dark was nowhere to be seen, where the Hell was he? 

Sky, the realization that he hadn’t been paying attention to him had Wild backing away from the other in renewed panic. He had to stay focused and alert, this was no time to get lost in thought. His eyes darted to him quickly and he let out a huff of relief. Sky still hadn’t moved, hadn’t even opened his eyes. The memory from not minutes ago ran wild through his brain once again. Sky grabbing Twilight’s sword from its sheath and holding it to Twilight’s throat after dragging him to kneel next to that bastard. How Sky’s eyes had burning red light deep in their depths and a face like cold emotionless stone. Wild could still hear Dark demanding he produce the sword echoing in his head. Wild shook his head to dispel the memories. Focus. 

“Wild?” The voice was soft, raspy and broken. Wild jumped about ten feet into the air at the sound.

His eyes darted to Sky and he could see the barest hint of light blue peeking out at him. Heart pounding and throwing caution to the wind he ran over to Sky and kneeled in next to him. Sky still hadn’t moved from his spot in the water, but he had lifted his left hand, his sword hand to his chest and sucked in a breath in between his teeth. Sky’s eye’s squinted closed again and he breathed heavily and Wild felt distinctly lost as to what to do. 

“Sky? Are you... You?” Wild ventured cautiously eyeing the other boy distrustfully. Sky’s breaths started to become harsh gasps and he squeezed his eyes tighter shut.

“I’m fine. Are… You okay? I am so sorry, Wild, I,” Sky started to apologize profusely and Wild stopped him with a light touch on his shoulder. 

“Don’t Worry about me, I’m okay. I’m more worried about you.” Wild said ignoring the burning slice across his back and how his arm throbbed along with his racing pulse. Sky shook his head back and forth he was getting more agitated by the minute and it made him feel on edge. 

“You have to leave... Get away...” Sky hissed out suddenly desperate. Wild swallowed down his nerves and shook his head, not wanting to leave Sky’s side. The idea of not wanting to leave Sky alone in this place trumped any fear he had. 

“No, not while you’re like this. Let me see your hand.” Wild said firmly and grabbed at Sky’s hand. Sky’s eyes flew open then and Wild could barely see the blue of his eyes around his blown out pupils. Sky was full on gasping now and Wild could feel his own anxiety building once again in his chest. He stubbornly swallowed the feeling down and focused on the task at hand. 

“Please, just go. It’s okay, you have to leave. Run. Hide.” Sky begged but Wild only shushed him and grabbed at his wounded hand again. The burn was deep, distressingly deep and Wild had a hard time looking at it. Sky struggled weakly but Wild could tell he didn’t have enough energy to pull his hand away. Wild bit his lip thoughtfully as he pondered the burn. He didn’t really have anything to heal, or anything to soothe the burns but the least he could do was wrap it to make sure no dirt got into the wound. 

Wild pulled his slate out and quickly ran through it’s contents until he found the last batch of clean wrappings and summoned them from his inventory and quickly wrapped up Sky’s burned hand. When it was wrapped to the best of his abilities Wild looked back into his slate to find some herbs for Sky to eat when Sky gasped and choked. His back arched off the ground and he cried out and clutched at his head. Wild backed away on instinct, clutching the slate to his chest as he did so. 

“He’s coming, Wild GO,” Sky bit out as he continued to writhe. 

“But, Sky,” Wild started but was cut off. 

“NOW,” Sky roared and Wild nodded quickly and tapped on his slate. In an instant his old borrowed shirt and torn pants were gone and replaced with his sheikah armor. The new clothes rubbed against his open wounds and he fought a wince. 

“Don’t worry I’ll be around, I’ll,” Wild said quickly but his voice died at the faint whisper that fell out from Sky’s mouth. 

“Please... just run.” Sky whispered, he had curled on his side, his back towards Wild with his hand pressed to his ears like he was trying to block out a loud sound. Wild’s heart broke at the sight but he did as he was told and dashed towards the mouth of the spring. As he ran he could have sworn he saw the others in the reflection of the water, but he didn’t have time to think on that just then. Just as he rounded the corner of the spring’s opening he heard something splash into the water. Wild skidded to a halt and pressed his back to the wall as he heard Dark address Sky. 

“Get to your feet, where is the champion?” Dark demanded and Wild could hear Sky shifting in the water as he got to his feet. Listening closer he was barely able to hear the response. 

“Gone.” 

“Worthless!” Dark raged and Wild heard the distinct sound of a slap ring through the quiet air. His blood boiled at the sound but he forced himself to stay where he was. Sky made no sound and Wild didn’t know if hearing Sky actually cry out would have been worse compared to the deafening silence that had greeted his ears. 

“What is this? He bandaged your hand? He was close enough to bandage your wound and you just let him go?” Dark snarled “I should carve your tongue out for this.” Dark continued to rage and Wild grit his teeth. 

“No matter, he can’t hide forever. Poor thing needs to rest after all and I doubt he will make it very far in this place.” Dark growled and Wild could hear him begin to pace around in the water. He didn’t know what Dark meant by that, but it didn’t sound promising, though he was never one to give up so easily.

“Alright, enough talk. Find the champion, bring him to me alive.” Dark commanded and Wild could hear footsteps beginning to walk his way.

“Oh, and one more thing, the longer you don’t find him the worse it will be for you.” Dark said in a sickly sweet voice and Wild shuddered. He didn’t even want to think about what that would entail. Part of him wanted to turn himself in right then and there, spare Sky the worst of what Dark could do. But there was a larger part that screamed at him to run, it forced him to dash to and climb the closest wall and duck out of sight just as Sky rounded the corner. He peered over the edge of the ledge he hid on and watched his brother scan the area around him. 

By all appearances Sky looked normal but Wild knew the truth in the stiff way he walked and the way his fingers twitched. He could see a red mark that bloomed across his cheek and the bandage that Wild had dressed his wound with was gone. The bastard must have taken it off Sky when he saw it. 

Just as Sky was walking away he stopped and spun around and locked eyes with Wild. There was a moment where they both stayed stock still, frozen in shock. Then the moment was shattered as Sky snarled and raced forward and launched himself at the wall, grabbing the low hanging vines that clung there and began to climb startlingly fast. Wild had just enough time to stand and run before the chase was on. 

From all the months spent traveling with Sky, Wild had rarely seen him run. Sure he would run into battle to help the others fight or to come to someone's aid but it was always in short bursts. This was a completely different situation however and Wild had the distinct impression that if he didn’t lose Sky soon he would be caught in no time. This was easier said than done however, no matter how he ducked, and dodged on coming trees and over roots Sky matched him step for step and he was beginning to tire out quickly. His back burned as the constant motion made the slash across his back shift and he could feel warmth blooming across the back of his suit. 

Stopping was not an option no matter how much his legs burned and his lungs screamed but he didn’t think he could go on much longer. His body was still achy and sore from the abuse it had taken from the last few days. He was mentally exhausted as well and the adrenaline coursing through his veins could only sustain him for so long.

Just as Wild took another step the ground gave way under his feet and he was tumbling. He let out a startled cry and curled protectively in on himself as he picked up speed. He felt like he was rolling for hours until, finally, he reached the bottom and sprawled out in a frigid stream. His head spun sickeningly and he could feel fresh bruises beginning to spread across his body from where he came in contact with the ground as he rolled. He thanked the Goddesses above that he hadn’t broken something in the fall. Wild blinked and turned his head to the side to look up the steep incline he had just fallen down. In the distance he could see Sky looking down at him, his posture screaming frustration. Wild thought he could still see the snarl on Sky’s face before he had turned and stalked away. 

Wild’s stomach dropped through the floor and he forced himself to roll over and get unsteadily to his feet. He was still dizzy and he stumbled a little as he started looking for a way out of the ravine. He knew it was only a matter of time before Sky made his way down here and Wild didn’t want to be here when he did. He gasped as each pulled at the newly forming bruises and he limped a little until he felt his legs regain their strength. 

Wild let out a heavy sigh and eyed a tree growing on the edge of the stream thoughtfully. If it was tall enough he could climb it, jump off and glide to the edge. It was times like these that he wished he still had access to the champions abilities. Wild was still looking around when he thought he heard the sound of breaking twigs in the distance. His heart began to race and without a second thought he began his mad climb to the top of the tree. 

As he climbed he could feel the weight of the past few days starting to pull him down. His muscles ached, his head throbbed in time with his body and even the constant threat of being caught wasn’t enough to keep his eyelids from drooping. When he was about half way up the tree he had to take a break. He was out of breath and his hands felt raw from the rough tree bark. 

His stomach growled loudly and he felt himself double over with the ache that accompanied it. It occurred to him then that he hadn’t actually eaten in days and now it appeared his stomach wanted to make up for lost time. Wild wasn’t all too surprised by this, with the amount of energy he just expended in the past hour alone he was surprised he hadn’t toppled over with starvation. 

With shaking hands Wild pulled out the slate and looked through his pitiful amount of supplies. There were a few handfuls of roasted acorns, about ten apples, a few bunches of bananas and maybe about twenty assorted mushrooms. There were no meals, no hearty elixirs, and only a couple bottles of fresh water to his name. He was hungry enough to eat everything in one sitting, but he forced himself to ration. He grabbed an apple and some acorns, and ate them greedily. He was going to have to scavenge food, find more water, but that would have to wait until he well and truly lost Sky. 

Speaking of, Wild looked around from his new position in the tree. He couldn’t see any signs of Sky, couldn’t even hear the sounds of him walking around anymore which gave him mixed feelings. On the one hand, it meant Sky wasn’t close by, on the other that meant he had no logical clue where Sky could’ve gone. Wild crunched thoughtfully on an acorn and looked around the silent ravine. 

It struck Wild just how quiet and empty this place seemed, it was almost too quiet. As he sat in the tree, he realized that there had been no bird calls, no sound of small animals scrabbling through the brush or even the signs of larger game. It was like this place was dead, and the lack of animal activity only acted as confirmation of his speculations. Shaking off the thoughts for now Wild tossed the core into the slate and tucked it away before continuing the climb.

After a few more minutes of steady climbing he finally reached a point where the limbs wouldn’t bear his weight anymore. He wasn’t as high as he wanted, looking out he saw to his dismay that he was barely above the lip of the ravine. It wasn’t ideal, but there wasn’t much to be done about it. Carefully he positioned himself and readied himself to jump, aiming for the other side of the ravine when he paused, a thought striking him suddenly. He didn’t know where Sky was, or for that matter, how large this ravine was. It was possible that Sky could have walked around the edge of the ravine and was waiting on the other side rather than trying to find a way down. But what if Sky hadn’t found a way around? Then jumping to the other side would buy him time to gain more ground between them. He grit his teeth in frustration, he knew he was overthinking the situation and if he couldn’t get a grip on it he would never leave the tree. 

Wild took a steading breath and squinted through the dark branches from one side of the ravine to the other, trying to find any signs of Sky but found nothing. The ravine was rather narrow, and while that made him nervous, he had to commit to a plan. He felt his hands start to shake with the effort of holding on to the trunk, and he was forced to make a choice lest he fall out of the tree. Wild took a deep breath, leapt out of the tree towards the other side of the ravine. He felt the momentarily flutter of his heart in his throat as he felt weightless and just before he began to fall he deployed his paraglider and drifted to the ground and landed with a roll before leaping to his feet. 

Once he was steady enough on his feet he darted behind a tree in a feeble attempt to stay hidden. After a few minutes with no sound of movement he felt it was safe to move again. He darted from tree to tree, his head on a constant swivel as he went but he saw no one. He felt like a startled hare, not knowing what to do or where to go, but he knew if he stayed still for too long too long in one place it would be bad. So he kept moving and opted to take quick breaks in between each quick dash in between trees and quietly thanked the Goddesses above for his stealth armor. His footsteps made no sound, his movements were fluid with only the lightest of breezes marked where he had once been. 

After about an hour of running around Wild finally deemed it safe enough to rest for a longer spell. He managed to find a large hollowed out tree and carefully slipped into the center of it. Breathing a sigh of relief he sat down and had just enough room to sit comfortably. His back ached where he leaned against the inside of the half rotted trunk and his arm felt distinctly numb. He rested his head back and closed his eyes and thought about his next move. 

During his mad dash through the foreign forest he had come to a few conclusions, one was that this world was barren of any animals to hunt. The second was that while the plants and trees looked the same in shape, he doubted any of it was actually edible. 

This realization was brought to his attention when during one of his many breaks he had found himself next to a group of mushrooms, that despite the flipped coloring he recognized as the earlier version of his own Hylian shroom. He had picked it before and had used it for cooking for the group before, so in theory it should have been safe to eat. But when he took a bite however, the taste of rot and ash had filled his mouth and he had spat it out. He had thought that maybe thanks to the flipped coloring he had mistaken the shroom for some other non-edible variety. With that notion in mind he had taken a few pictures of the forest around him and had spent entirely too long fiddling with the slate until he managed to get the colors to flip back to normal. When he finally had a grasp on how to invert the colors on the slate he took a picture of the shroom, and found to his dismay that he had been right. Though that still left him with questions. Was everything inedible here, or did he just have to find the right things to eat? 

He had a few theories and during his run he took pictures, inverted them and collected a few berries, some of which he knew to be poisonous as well as some that he knew were safe to eat. The theory being if normal things were not safe to eat, then maybe unsafe things were the new safe. During another break he had rolled up his sleeve, exposing the crook of his elbow and took one berry that he knew was safe to eat and one he knew was poisonous and rubbed them on the skin of his arm and waited for a reaction. After running for a few minutes Wild felt his arm beginning to tingle. So the next time he stopped and checked his arm he felt his heart sink when he found that both of the berries had caused his arm to itch and burn. This meant that neither berry was safe to eat and his theory was dead in the water. Which left him with little rations and a very tight time frame to somehow save Sky and escape whatever world Dark had thrown them into. 

His mind continued to drift off to other things and before he realized it he was jerking awake to the sound of footsteps nearby. His eyes widened in the dark and he forced himself to stay as still as possible as the sounds moved closer. Slowly he could see the light of a torch beginning to flicker just outside of his hiding spot and he felt his blood run cold. his eyes moved to the opening of the hollowed out tree just in time to see Sky step in front of it. He looked tired, his posture was slightly bowed, his arm that carried the torch drooped and he stopped right in front of Wild’s little hideout. Wild cursed silently to himself and he held his breath as Sky straightened and swung the torch around as he looked through the gloom. Wild felt his fingers twitch as the light swept across the opening and he was sure he was all but caught. But to his immense surprise Sky just sighed, and shuffled away further into the darkness. 

Wild watched as the light faded away leaving him alone once again in the dark with his own racing thoughts. His breaths puffed out in a misty cloud in front of him and he could feel the cold damp air around him settling into his bones as he pondered what to do next. At that moment a couple options presented themselves to him. 

One option was to follow Sky, the reason being that it was better to know where the hunter was rather than being caught unawares. But with that option came risks. He could be caught if he wasn’t careful and he would be brought right to Dark in short order. The other option was leaving Sky alone and continuing this crazy game of hide and go seek. But there was a real chance that losing track of Sky would mean that he could be surprised later and that was not something he wanted either. In his current state there would be no way he could fight him off and get away again. 

No matter what way he looked at it, it seemed every option boiled down to him staying alive long enough to die of dehydration, being caught and dragged kicking and screaming to Dark or somehow, someway finding his way out this place and leaving Sky alone. All of which were rather bleak when he looked at it. Wild rubbed at his eyes, his head hurt and his little surprise nap hadn’t really helped him catch up on all the sleep he had missed, and that frustrated him to no end. 

His mind was made up however when in the eerie silence of this new world, he heard the distinct sound of a body falling to the earth some distance away. Forgetting his general misery for the time being Wild quickly wriggled his way out of the tree and scanned the surrounding woods. He spotted the light of the torch on the ground quickly and he could just make out the un-moving body of Sky laying on the ground next to it. Wild stole over quickly and when he was close enough he slowed to a stop to survey the situation. Sky was laying face down, eyes closed and Wild noted the slow steady breaths puffing out in soft clouds of steam. His eyes moved to the torch next and he saw it was slowly starting to catch the leaves on fire. In three quick steps he plucked up the torch from the ground and stamped out the small flames before they could spread. Wild kept his eyes on the fallen Sky as he did so, painfully aware that this could very well be a trap but he hadn’t moved, hadn’t so much as twitched. 

He felt his heart twist at the thought that Dark had run him into the ground like this. Looking closer he could see a bruise on his cheek where he had been struck. His eyes were slightly puffy and dark bags clung fast to the skin under his eyes. Deeming the situation safe enough for now, Wild shuffled around to Sky’s other side and took a closer look at his burned hand. It was raw and it looked like it was weeping black fluid around the edges. 

That wasn’t a good sign and Wild desperately wanted to clean it and wrap the wound to make sure it wouldn’t get infected but he stopped himself. He had to consider what would happen to Sky if he decided to help. Best case scenario Dark would just remove the bandage again, leaving it up to chance whether it healed or got infected. The worst case scenario, Dark would most likely punish Sky for allowing him to get so close again and not capturing him. As much as he hated it, he had to stay to the shadows. He decided then that he had to stick close enough to make sure he knew where Sky was in order to avoid him, as well as observe and try to figure out a plan. He watched as Sky began to shiver with the cold and Wild knew he couldn’t leave him like this, he would get sick and knowing Dark he wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. 

Thinking quickly Wild set off into the darkened woods and hastily picked the driest tinder and wood he could find and made his way back to the exhausted Sky. As quietly as he could he cleared a space for a small fire. He kept checking on Sky, making sure he was still out as he set up the small fire and lit it with the torch. Once the flames crackled to life he doused the torch and fed the fire. It began to crackle loudly and he winced at the sound and looked over to Sky nervously. He still hadn’t moved except for his incessant shivering, his eyes were still closed and his breaths were slow and deep. The heat from the flames washed over him and he sighed knowing he wasn’t going to be able to feel that relief for a long time. 

Once the blaze well and truly set he stood and walked to Sky’s other side to look at his hand. He may not be able to bandage it, but he could at least clean it. he grabbed a bottle of water and some of the cleaner bandages he had and very carefully began to wipe away the black fluid making sure to keep it away from his exposed fingers. He couldn’t be sure if this was the same magic that had infected him and poisoned the others or if it was something completely new and he really didn’t want to find out. 

As he worked he kept an eye on Sky’s shivering. The violent shuddering was slowing to a stop and Wild let out a low sigh of relief, the fire seemed to be helping and that made him feel a bit better. He was just about finished with Sky’s hand when he heard him groan and start to move. At the same time there was a sound, almost like a pop and a crackle in the distance and Wild took that as his cue to melt back into the shadows. He tucked what was left of the bottle of water and the soiled bandage back into his slate and quickly moved to hide behind a tree nearby to watch the new developments.

********

Sky was aware that he wasn’t alone. He could hear the sound of a small fire in front of him and he could feel something touching his hand. He really hoped it wasn’t a bug crawling on his hand, not that he would have the energy to shake it off anyways. His mind ticked over sluggishly, it was like his head was filled with sludge. Each thought was a struggle and slow to form around the constant muted hum of whispers that plagued him. 

There was loud reverberation that blasted through his head and he groaned at the sound that left his ears ringing painfully. The feeling of whatever was touching his hand left immediately and he tried to get his arms under himself as he blearily opened his eyes to look out over the small fire in front of him. A fire he did not remember setting. He felt his breath hitch and his eyes darted around the clearing but there was no sign of Wild anywhere but he was sure he had been there. There was the sound of cracking twigs and his eyes looked towards the noise. Dark came swaggering into the fire light not a minute later and Sky could feel his heart twist with anger and fear. His gate was arrogant and unconcerned and when he came to a stop in front of the fire he put his hands on his hips and eyed the small fire thoughtfully. 

“taking a little rest I see?” Dark drawled slowly. His voice was calm and calculating. 

“Mind if I join you?” He asked and waited for a response. Sky just sneered at him and Dark smiled easily at him. Sky was still laying on the ground but at Dark’s arrival he had shifted slightly, getting his hands under himself as he tried to sit up. Dark snorted loudly as he watched him struggle but made no move to help. Sky felt his body sag under the weight of his exhaustion but he managed to land on his side, which he took as a small victory. 

“Pathetic, honestly I thought you were supposed to be one of the stronger ones.” Dark groused as he plopped down and grumpily across from Sky. He shot him a glare to which Dark ignored in favor of digging through his bag.

“Should’ve gotten that foolish farm hand. He would have sniffed out that rat by now.” Dark muttered as he busied himself with pulling out what looked like wrapped objects. Sky’s heart thudded painfully at the thought. He wouldn’t wish this on his worst enemy, which was ironic, considering his worst enemy was sitting across from him. 

‘Wild had to deal with something like this, and you were too stupid to notice. This is what you deserve.’ A voice whispered in his head. He closed his eyes as shame raked at his soul and he couldn’t help but agree. The sound of crinkling paper brought his attention back to his unwanted visitor. 

Sky squinted as he tried to see just what Dark was pulling out of his bag. It looked like little parcels, but with the haze in his vision and the sludge that infected his brain he had a hard time making out what they were at first. With an absurd amount of effort he managed to get himself into a seated position. He did his best to hide the tremors that racked his body even as exhaustion weighed down his shoulders. Sky surreptitiously looked around the little clearing around him, he could feel eyes on his back but he couldn’t pinpoint from exactly where. There was another crinkle of paper and he brought his attention back to Dark as he began to unwrap one of the parcels, revealing a few pieces of bread and what looked like cheese? Sky’s stomach twisted painfully and he felt a grimace grace his face. Dark glanced up from his meal and eyed him thoughtfully. 

“I suppose I should give you something to eat. You’ll be even more worthless if I let you starve.” Dark groused as he grabbed one of the smaller packages and tossed it at Sky. It hit him in the chest and landed in his lap but he made no move to open it. Dark took another bite of his food and raised an eyebrow. 

“What is it? Don’t trust me?” 

“Would you trust a mad man who made it his personal goal to destroy you?” Sky asked slowly as he picked up the small wrapped package and turned it over in his hands. Dark chewed thoughtfully for a moment before answering with another question. 

“You have been out here all day, have you noticed anything odd about this place?” Dark questioned and Sky tilted his head in thought. He had noticed that besides the shift in the colors, the place seemed oddly, barren. 

“I haven’t seen any animals,” Sky said after a beat and Dark nodded. 

“Not as stupid as you look. Yes there are no animals, no other people. Just me in a world where everything is a type of poison.” Dark said coldly. His eyes stared into the fire and if Sky didn’t know better he would have guessed that he seemed bitter. 

“Surely there are plants that one can eat. How do you know if everything is poison? ” Sky asked and Dark laughed long and hard. 

“Of course I can! But everything else? No, this place is a toxin,” He said as he wiped his eyes. Sky felt a splinter of cold pierce his heart. Wild was out there, alone. He has his slate of course but who knew how much was in there. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Wild collecting anything during their travels. 

“What is this place?” Sky asked and Dark smiled evilly at him.

“This is my world, a place of my own making, or at least I think it is. Think of it as a world that exists everywhere and nowhere, we are in the inbetween. As long as I have existed I have been here.” Dark said cryptically and Sky didn’t know what to make of his statement. If what Dark said was true, then It seemed like this would be a lonely place to exist. Dark seemed to guess what Sky was thinking because he started to laugh heartily and Sky felt distinctly unsettled. 

“I was curious once, I wanted to know what would happen,” Dark choked out between peels of laughter and he had to struggle to get himself under control so he could speak. 

“I brought some animals over from your world, you know, fill this place with some life,” He gasped out and after taking a few steading breaths he continued. 

“They didn’t last long, you should have seen their faces after they ate some of the plants! Goddesses above! I nearly died from laughing so hard.” Dark was practically rolling on the ground and Sky felt physically repulsed by the sight. He looked down at the package in his hands again. He wouldn’t put it past Dark to try to poison him just see him slowly die. Sky put the package down, suddenly sick to his stomach. 

“What about the water? I need water too, you know.” Sky dared to ask and Dark coughed violently and sat up breathing heavily as he slowly got himself back under control. 

“I suppose the water should be okay, as long as you know how to purify it. It might take a little trial and error though.” Dark said with a sniff. “But let me worry about that, I will make sure you won’t die of thirst or hunger as long as you prove to me that you’re worth keeping alive.” Dark’s tone had shifted, all the humor had drained from it and like flipping a switch he was all menace and foreboding. 

“That being said, what have you learned?” Dark asked and Sky could feel a surge of magic slam into him like a charging ampilus. He grabbed his head as the words echoed painfully and he felt like he was being squeezed. It was like he couldn’t get air into his lungs and he was choking. The words were pulled from his head without his consent and his throat burned from the magic and he fought against the command. 

“I haven’t found any trace of him.” Sky said from behind clenched teeth. He was panting and he thought he was going to throw up. Dark sighed and raised a hand. 

“We both know that is a lie sky child.” He said softly and he curled his fingers into a fist. Sky arched backwards as the magic that laced his blood felt like burning flames. He couldn’t hold himself up anymore, he fell to the ground and clawed at the leaf covered ground. 

“The truth, now.” Dark demanded and Sky felt the words being pulled from him once again. 

“I haven’t seen him, but I know he’s close. I just...” Sky let out a pained cry as the flames in his veins grew into the pyre. “I don’t know where. But... Close,” Sky choked out. He could taste ash and burning in his throat. Sky writhed on the ground and his bones felt like they were turning to red hot coals. Finally Dark sighed and the pain stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Sky gagged on the flood of relief and he felt tears rolling down his cheeks and wetting the floor below him. 

“Somewhere close huh?” Dark said and Sky could see him squinting into the darkness. 

“Well then, I suggest you find him. He must be half dead with exhaustion by now.” Dark said clapping his hands together as he stood and stretched. 

“I’ll leave you to it, don’t disappoint me.” Dark gave a quick nod and turned and walked back into the darkness from where he came. There was a flash of purple lights and Sky was alone. His head throbbed, and as he laid there he could feel the sludge begin to wind around his thoughts once more. It was getting harder to gather his scattered thoughts through the strangling grip of the command Dark had given him. 

Find him.

Find him.

Don’t disappoint me. 

Sky gagged again when he tried to sit up so he contented himself with just laying on the ground. In the prison that was his mind, he imagined himself being locked down with the chains that were Dark’s commands. 

‘You can’t break these chains, child. Just give up. Follow through like the dog you are.’ One voice whispered and Sky shuddered with the unexpectedly comforting tone it held. He wanted to sleep, wanted to rest but the command pulled at his limbs and he knew he would have to move soon. Or did he? With that thought Sky lifted his head. Dark hadn’t necessarily given him a time frame after all. The tired cogs of his brain began to turn slowly. In fact what had he said? What was the command? Find Wild, don’t disappoint Dark. Sky felt the smallest amount of hope spark in his chest, and he worked to feed the flame, and tug at the metaphorical chains that bound him. Dark just wanted him to find Wild, he never said he had to catch him. In fact with that new command, Sky didn’t have to catch him. He smiled slowly to himself. 

“Alright, I’ll find him.” Sky rasped and slowly he sat himself up. 

“I’ll find him.” Sky said again and this time he worked at casting his voice into the empty forest around him. 

“Are you out there Wild? He said I just had to find you. Just a little glance would be enough, I’m sure. Just a small glimpse.” Sky said a little louder and he hoped Wild was close enough to hear and that he understood what he was getting at. Sky felt his heart beat pick up as he waited, he couldn’t hear any movement, not even the sound of the wind in the trees. 

Sky could feel the hope he once had beginning to wane as the minutes ticked by with nothing but the sound of crackling flames for company. Then like magic an apple dropped from above his head. It landed with a solid thud and rolled to a stop next to the fire. Sky looked at it wide eyed as the thin skin began to steam and turn a rich brown. Then he was bowled into and sent flying as something wrapped around him. Before he knew it his arms were tied behind him and his legs were bound at the ankles. Before he could so much as gasp at the rough treatment something fell over his eyes and he was blind. Sky struggled against the new predicament he found himself in but stopped when he heard a soft whisper filter through the camp. 

“Sorry for the rough treatment, but I don’t want to take any chances.” Wild said and Sky could just make out the faint outline of someone moving against the firelight. He couldn’t bring himself to speak just yet, so he just gave an exaggerated nod of his head to show he had heard him. There was a quiet hum from somewhere near the fire. 

“That was very informative. At least I know for sure not to eat the plants.” Wild continued after a beat and Sky found himself blurting out his words in a rush of relief and worry.

“Wild, thank the Goddess. Are you alright? I was worried you had accidently poisoned yourself after Dark had mentioned the food issue.” Sky said quickly and as soon as Wild’s name left his lips he could feel something constrict around his thoughts. It almost felt like tendrils of ice cold water snaking around his mind like a questing hand. He squinted his eyes shut at the feeling and he could feel a chill run down his spine. There was a thrum buzzing in his head and he knew it was the command that Dark had placed on him. 

Find him...

Find him...

Sky choked and he heard Wild shift from where he was by the fire. The voice started out quiet at first but soon they were so loud he thought his ears would bleed. 

“Sky are you alright?” He asked and Sky felt panic raising in his throat. He pulled and jerked against his bindings, trying desperately to get his hands free to cover his ears. 

“Don’t come closer, I... I don’t... Know what will happen if you get closer.” Sky said between shallow breaths and he could hear Wild stop moving. 

“Is this hurting you? Are you in pain? What’s happening?” Wild asked rapidly and Sky had to shake his head in an attempt to clear it.

“The command...” Sky groaned as he squeezed his eyes tightly closed. “Gah... It's so loud! My ears! They feel like they’re about to bleed!” Sky gritted out between his teeth. The voices in his mind got even louder until he couldn’t hear Wild’s responses anymore. Sky curled in on himself as he felt his reality boil down to the feeling of being restrained and the cacophony of screaming voices demanding he comply. 

He could feel the faint thumps of footsteps as Wild came closer to him and Sky couldn’t do anything to try to keep him away. He felt Wild’s fingers grasp at the thing that covered his face and in one swift movement the fabric was torn away and Sky found himself blinking in the light. He felt Wild grab his shoulders and shake him slightly and it took a minute for him to focus on Wild’s concerned, scarred face. Just the sight of Wild instantly made the voices fade to a light murmur again. Sky groaned as he felt the icy cold death grip that had a hold of his thoughts loosen and fall away slightly. He felt a heady rush of release as he finally felt his thoughts clear for the first time in days and he sagged against the ground and let his eyes slip shut. Sky felt Wild’s eyes staring at him, waiting and he dimly realized that he hadn’t said anything in the past few minutes. 

“Sky? Are you okay?” Wild sounded hesitant, like he was worried that talking too loud would cause more pain to him. Sky nodded slowly reveling in the blissful silence. Sky felt something soft brush against his mouth and he jumped at the sudden sensation. He opened his eyes and spotted Wild holding what looked like a small cloth. 

“You’re bleeding,” Wild said simply as he showed the blackish red blood that spotted the cloth. Sky felt his heart sink at the sight. Black blood, his blood was becoming black, did this mean he was going to be a mindless beast like those monsters? It seemed like Wild couldn’t make eye contact with him and Sky couldn’t blame him.

‘He’s ashamed of you,’ one voice whispered quietly and Sky felt himself grit his teeth as he felt anger that wasn’t his build in his chest.

‘Break your bonds! Rip out his throat!’ Another voice roared, making Sky wince. 

‘Now, now, he has to keep the boy alive,’ the other voice chided with a whisper soft laugh that made Sky feel sick. He was becoming a monster right before Wild’s eyes, and Wild didn’t even know it. Sky could hear the whispers begin to laugh at his realization and he was disgusted when he felt a small part of him wanting to join in with them. He could feel small parts of himself flaking away into the madness and he wondered how long it would take until he was fully gone. He hoped the others would be strong enough to end him quickly. Sky felt his heart begin to ache as he thought about it, how would Wild react if he knew that he was already slipping into madness, that he was already too weak to fight. His throat tightened at the realization that there was a real possibility that Wild was going to have to kill him. 

“I think your little theory worked...” Wild finally managed to whisper and Sky could feel Wild leaning closer to him. 

“My little theory?” Sky asked thickly as he tried to force the lump in his throat down. Wild nodded as he pondered the cloth in his hands. 

“You said you just had to see me. So when you asked me to... Well, it was a risk, but I’m glad it seems to be working.” Wild said as he set the cloth down and grabbed at the small package that had been discarded. Sky didn’t say anything as Wild unwrapped it and examined the food.

“Looks like some fruit, cheese and a nice chunk of bread. It all looks fresh too,” Wild said as he picked up one of the small berries and squeezed and watched the juices coat his fingers. Sky could feel his stomach flip and growl at the same time. At the sound of his stomach growling Wild snapped pale blue eyes towards him and asked a silent question.

“Not hungry,” Sky rasped and Wild gave him a flat look. 

“I’m calling horse on that one. You’ve been chasing me all day. You have to eat.” Wild said sternly and Sky couldn’t help how his lips turned up at the corners. Of course Wild would be the one putting his foot down about him eating. Wild was always nagging the group about making sure they ate enough food. He began to shake his head and protest further when wild grabbed the front of his tunic and hauled him up into a seated position. Sky felt his head spin and Wild held him there until he steadied. 

“I’m going to cut you free, so you can eat okay,” Wild said as he pulled a small knife from his slate. 

“Please, don’t leave me alone,” Sky said and he hated how desperate his voice sounded. He could tell Wild was torn on what to do. 

“Sky be reasonable, you have to eat,” Wild said and Sky shook his head. He really didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts. Not eating would be a small price to pay for some company. Though Wild seemed to have come to a decision of his own. 

Wild opened his slate and pawed through it for a moment before summoning a long length of rope. Sky watched him curiously as he eyed a thick branch above them and tossed one end of the rope up and over while holding on to the other end. The end of the rope landed with a soft thump and Wild took little time grabbing it and walking behind Sky. Without warning the cloth was dropped back over his face and he was blind again. He could hear Wild’s soft apologies and felt as wild quickly untied the tight knots. As the bindings became looser Sky could feel himself start to shake. His body was screaming at him to attack, to subdue Wild and call Dark back so he could have the pleasure of handing over his prize. 

“Stay with me Sky, just another minute,” Wild muttered hurriedly as he brought Sky’s arms in front of him and began re-tying his hands in front of him. Sky felt his breathing getting labored, could feel the whispers trying to force his mind to the side and lock him away. 

‘So close,’ They whispered. 

‘END THIS NOW’ 

‘END IT’ 

The whispers had turned to full blow yelling and it was all he could do to keep himself in control. He could feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes and he squeezed them shut. He felt the rope cinch tight around his wrists again making it impossible to grab anything or anyone effectively. Sky could feel himself shaking violently as the voices cried out their displeasure. 

“Sky, it's okay, you’re okay,” Wild tried to sooth but Sky was having a hard time processing the words. In one quick movement the cloth that was covering his face was removed and he could see the horror written on the other’s face. He must have looked rough because Wild’s face cycled through several emotions in quick succession before finally landing on concern. Sky felt a desperate sob escape his throat and he chastised himself for his weakness. 

Sky could feel himself spiraling and try as he might he couldn’t get himself to stop. It seemed the whispers had sensed his failing control and had joined in his self loathing, and he could feel himself fading away. He could still see, could still hear and feel but he was losing the thread, like he was being shoved into a shell of himself. He tried to hold on to his weakening control but it was like trying to hold on to an eel and the harder he tried the more he would slip.

Suddenly he felt something wrap around him and squeeze him tight enough that he felt his breath wheeze out of him. Sky felt himself gasping and shaking and as he continued to spiral he felt whatever was squeezing him get tighter. 

After a couple of seconds of confused and jittering thoughts he was finally about to process Wild whispering in his ear. It was so soft he had to really focus on it but he was able to make out that he was just repeating the same thing. 

“Stay with me, come on Sky, come back,” Wild was just on the edge of pleading and Sky worked on pulling himself back from the edge. He forced himself to take deep shuddering breaths and with each one he could feel Wild’s arms pull him just a little tighter into the hug. After a few more minutes Sky could feel Wild shift so they were sitting in a more comfortable position, with Sky facing towards the fire and Wild facing the black forest at his back. Sky was practically draped across Wild’s lap and as they sat Sky could feel his frantic thoughts slow as he regulated his breathing again. Wild rubbed small circles in his back and Sky leaned into the hug gratefully. He could smell the wood smoke that clung to Wild’s clothes along with the faint tang of metal and rain. 

Sky didn’t know how long they stayed like that but it was nice even though he couldn’t really reciprocate the hug all that well. After a bit of awkward shifting he managed to lift his bound hands up and grab weakly at Wild’s scarf.

“Sky? You back?” Wild asked carefully and to his shock he was actually able to respond. 

“Yeah, I’m back. I am so, so sorry Wild,” He whispered hoarsely, and he could feel Wild pull him closer. 

“Sorry for what?” Wild asked calmly and Sky wished he hadn’t said anything, he didn’t want to admit just how close he had been to losing himself. 

“I... Had a moment. I should be better than that.” Sky muttered and he felt Wild sigh and shake his head. 

“Don’t be sorry, this whole situation is... Difficult to say the least.” Wild finished lamely and Sky just nodded weakly and leaned his head on Wild’s shoulder. 

“Wild, I need you to promise me something,” Sky said quietly. He could feel Wild stiffen around him and Sky steeled himself. “If the need arises, if I can’t... I don’t want to hurt anyone so please,” the words died in his throat and he found that he couldn’t continue the thought. 

“It won’t come to that, you’re strong Sky, stronger than most. Don’t doubt yourself,” Wild said as he began to pull away. Sky didn’t know what to say to that but he certainly knew he didn’t believe it. Wild didn’t understand, he was already losing himself, he couldn’t be trusted. Wild was in the process of standing and Sky had the intense urge to cling on to him, make Wild see and understand. The moment passed and Wild scooped up the small unwrapped package and handed it down to Sky. He took it numbly and stared at the food numbly.

“Eat, you need your strength,” Wild said and he offered Sky the smallest of smiles. Sky dropped the package onto his lap and began to pick at the food with his bound hands. He could feel Wild’s eyes on him and he picked up the piece of bread and chewed it dispassionately. Wild watched for a minute to make sure he was actually eating before he moved away and grabbed the rope that was hanging from the tree. Sky popped a few berries into his mouth and eyed the rope that bound his wrists thoughtfully. 

The ropes were tight, but not to the point of cutting off blood circulation. Loose enough that he could probably wiggle his hands free if he tried. Sky ate some of the cheese absently, it was mild and creamy. As he chewed he gave an experimental tug on his bindings, noting how much wiggle room he actually had of which there wasn’t much. Sky found himself eyeing the knots Wild had tied closely, getting lost in the twists and turns of them and completely missed Wild trying to talk to him until he heard a stern ‘Sky?’ come from in front of him. 

“Huh? Sorry what?” Sky stammered out quickly and he felt his heart sink slightly when he saw how pale Wild’s face was. He looked spooked, eyes wide and pupils dilated. 

“What did... You just say?” Wild whispered, his fingers going white with his grip on the rope. Sky’s mind flew at a mile a minute trying to recall the past few minutes. Had he spoken? if he did what did he say? 

“What did you say!?” Wild screamed suddenly and Sky flinched. 

“W-wild, I don’t...” Sky started but his voice died in his throat as and another voice burbled out of his throat instead and suddenly he was locked away. As hard as he tried he couldn’t regain control of his voice. He felt himself brush the remnants of his meal off of his lap against his will. He was locked behind his own eyes and he could only watch and listen in absolute horror as his fingers quickly untied the bindings around his ankles and he stood in one fluid motion. 

*********

Wild felt distinctly off kilter. He had taken a huge risk confronting Sky like this, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave him alone after his little chat with Dark. His heart had broken in sympathy when he heard the desperate tone in Sky’s voice as he had called out to him. In the long run he didn’t regret his choice, if it were him he knew Sky would have done the same. 

He glanced back over to Sky who was slowly eating his food in silence, obviously deep in thought and Wild for his part didn’t know what to say. Sky had practically asked him to end his life should he lose control and Wild didn’t know if he could do that. This was Sky, his predecessor, a fellow hero and most importantly his brother. His mind recoiled at the thought of being asked to kill him and his heart burned with rage at the shadowy being that had brought Sky to this point. 

Wild squatted down by the fire and pulled out some apples and mushrooms to roast by the fire. As they cooked he let his mind work over Sky’s desperate plea. He supposed if he was in Sky’s position he would have asked that same thing. He had cooked a few things when he heard Sky begin to mutter something under his breath and he turned to look at him. 

“You left them all to die,” Sky whispered as he pondered the ropes that Wild had tied around his wrists. At first Wild wasn’t sure he had actually spoken. It was so soft and the crackle of the fire only helped to muddle the words. He felt a tightness start to wrap around his throat as he watched Sky tug at the bindings around his wrists. 

“Sky, what did you say?” Wild asked, his heart beginning to pound painfully behind his ribs. Sky didn’t look up from his examination of the ropes. 

“Little hero and the princess ran, and left them all to die,” Sky said in a sing-song tone. Wild felt his mouth drop open, no, no no no there was no way Sky would know about that. When asked about his adventure he had only given the briefest of explanations, there was no way. A wave of horror mixed together with fear and it clawed at his chest and he grabbed the rope hanging next to him quickly. 

“Sky,” Wild said again and was still met with no reply. Anger bubbled up unbidden in his chest and he called out again. This time being met with a shocked and confused look from the bound hero. 

“Huh? Sorry, what?” Sky said, clearly startled but Wild couldn’t tamp down his own rising anger and fear. 

“What did.... You just say?” His voice came out in the barest of whispers and his heart gave off sputters of panic. There was a flicker of red that danced around Sky’s pupils but Wild wasn’t sure if it was firelight, or something more sinister. Before he could stop himself, to think about his next words he found that he was already yelling. 

“What did you just say!?” Sky flinched at his tone but Wild could see the red flickers clearly now, there was no denying it. Sky opened his mouth, his lips formed words but no noise escaped his throat. And just like that a malevolent laugh sliced through the air. In one quick movement the package that was Sky’s meal was brushed to the ground and the rope around his ankles untied and tossed to the side. 

“Hero of the Wild, it has been too long,” Dark’s voice trilled happily from Sky’s mouth as he rose to his feet. Wild gripped the rope tighter and backed away slowly. He was unnerved, hearing Dark’s voice tumble out of Sky’s mouth was so jarring and wrong that it made his guts turn to water. 

“Let Sky go and face me you coward,” Wild snarled and Sky tilted his head to the side for a moment before he let out a deep belly laugh. 

“Not a chance! I just got this puppet, I haven’t even got to test him out properly,” Dark said and he rolled his shoulders experimentally. Wild wanted to vomit at Dark’s words. 

“Besides, I wonder what it will be like to fight you with this body. Will you go all out knowing that you’ll just be harming your fellow hero?” Dark pondered, bringing his bound hands to Sky’s chin in a thoughtful motion. “Or will you let yourself be gutted like fish? I honestly don’t know which option I prefer.” Dark said with a little laugh and Wild took a couple more steps back. Dark noticed and took a couple steps of his own. 

“But that will have to be for later, first,” Dark said and his voice dropped and a snarl marred Sky’s kind face. “I want that sword, give it to me or your torture will be several shades of Hell.” He said and started to run forward. Wild launched himself backwards and pulled hard on the rope. Sky let out a cry of rage as his arms were wrenched upwards by the wrists and he was lifted bodily off the ground. Wild grunted in exertion, Sky was unexpectedly heavy and given his tired and injured state it made lifting him that much harder. Sky swung crazily back and forth due to the momentum and a laugh rang through the clearing. 

“I should have guessed! You sneaky little bastard!” Dark cackled and Wild strained to hold on to the rope. Wild backed further away pulling Sky higher up towards the branches of the tree. He quickly wrapped the rope around the trunk of the tree and tied a knot, leaving Sky dangling about ten feet off the ground. 

“Now what little hero? Are you just going to just leave us hanging here all night, because I’ll let you in on a little secret this is Hell on the shoulders,” Dark said as his swinging slowed to a stop and he was left spinning slowly in place. 

“It’s not too pleasant on the wrists either, I think you cut into our skin with that little maneuver.” Dark taunted from his place in the tree and Wild could see that he was right. There was a thin trickle of blood snaking down Sky’s arm and he fought not to wince. Wild chose to ignore him and went about picking up the food he had cooked earlier and stored it in the slate. Sky just hung there and watched with flickering red pupils as he gathered his supplies. When he was done he straightened and steeled himself to face his brother. 

“Sky, I know you can hear me, I’ll figure out how to save you. Don’t give up, you’re stronger than this imp.” Wild said and he sincerely hoped that Sky could hear him. Dark’s voice bubbled out from him again in a melodic cackle and he threw his head back, apparently delighted. 

“Run away little hero, run away while you still can! I know you have it in you, just ask those champion friends of yours!” Dark called out in a joyous sing-song voice. Wild grit his teeth and without a second glance back trotted away back into the murky black of the topsy turvy world he had landed in and left his brother dangling from the tree. 


	2. Man and Mongrel

They were gone, just gone. Sky had sunk into the cold spring water and Wild was tossed into the portal like a rag doll and Twilight was barely aware of the world around him. All he knew was the portal, Dark and the cold spring water that soaked his clothes and helped weigh him down. Once Wild had disappeared Twilight had forced himself to his feet with an energy born from desperation. 

“Where are they?!” Twilight yelled from his place in the spring. No matter how he tried to move forward on his weak legs he could barely manage two steps before he would sway and stumble. But he tried, there was nothing else he could think of to do except try. Blood still dripped from his neck where the sword had sliced him and his whole body felt little better than a lead weight. His mind was a confused jumble of skittering thoughts and mindless exhaustion. He was fueled only by the need to somehow, someway get his lost brothers back. 

“Don’t worry wolf boy, I will make sure to take great care of your friends!” Dark called from his place facing the portal. He didn’t even bother to turn around and look him in the eye. 

“Who knows, maybe one of them will even be alive when I’m through. One can hope right?” Dark laughed as he made to walk through the portal. Breathing heavily and without a second of thought, Twilight scooped up a rock from the spring bed below and with all the strength he could gather hurled it at Dark’s head. To his immense surprise, it connected with a crack and Dark spun to face him. Twilight stood as straight as he could and balled his fists at his side as he called upon all the rage and frustration that had built up in him over the last week.

“Bring them back,” Twilight snarled, a little breathlessly. Dark glared back in kind and cracked his neck, his glare slowly turned into a devilish smile. In the blink of an eye, Dark was standing in front of him, his hand shot forward and wrapped around his bleeding throat and began to squeeze. Twilight choked and clawed at the iron grip as he was lifted from the water. Twilight heard Time cry out his name, heard him begin his unsteady way over to them but one quick hand motion from Dark had Time crashing into the water. He heard Warriors shout as well but another gesture from Dark had Time howling in agony and suddenly there was no more sound, no more signs of movement. Twilight’s vision was beginning to fade around the edges, but he could see the pointed grin plastered all over Dark’s face. 

“I know I promised myself that I’d kill you all slowly, but I’ll be damned if you aren’t making it hard to keep that promise,” Dark snarled his eyes blazing with bright red hatred. Twilight could barely draw breath, let alone speak but he made due with spitting in Dark’s face. Dark roared his displeasure and tossed him away with ease. He landed hard in the spring, his head colliding with the rocks that hid under the water, his lungs dragged in a slightly water logged breath and he coughed and gasped as black specks burst in his vision. Darkness continued to flood his vision and he drifted in the water, dazed as the world around him spun in slow motion, his limbs relaxing against his will. 

As he drifted he felt his hand brush against metal, his brain turned over the thought for a moment before it clicked. It was the metal of his discarded sword, in a moment he snapped back to the present. As Twilight rose from the water he shook his aching head to clear it and he scrambled to find the handle. Just as his fingers found the hilt of the sword a foot connected with his side with enough force to bruise his ribs. He gasped in pain and he clutched at his side and tried to rise but another brutal kick sent him sprawling back into the water. 

“You are really testing my patience pup.” Dark snarled as Twilight lifted himself up shakily on his elbows. 

“Fuck... You,” Twilight coughed out and Dark let out a bark of laughter. He felt Dark grab at the back of his neck and he had just enough presence of mind to suck in a quick breath before he felt his head being forced under the water. He struggled against the hold only to feel the grip tighten. His lungs burned with the need to breathe and he felt his body give an involuntary spasm. He could feel himself fading quickly, felt the water replace the air in his mouth and just as he was about to take a deep breath in he was pulled out of the water. He gasped and choked as he took in desperate drags of the air around him. It tasted like metal and wet leaves but the air that filled his lungs was the loveliest thing he had ever experienced.

“What’s the matter pup, you look a little pale.” Dark cooed as he let go of his neck. Twilight fell into the water and rolled to his side, every ounce of energy spent. His lungs burned with each new intake of air and his body shook with cold and overtaxed muscles. 

“Aw, come on wolf boy, where’s that defiance? That can do attitude?” Dark pouted and Twilight felt him punch his shoulder playfully. If he had the energy he would have decked him, but as it was all he could do was glare. 

“Don’t give up now, you really had me on the ropes,” Dark’s voice was full of false encouragement, like he was trying to build up his confidence again. Twilight swallowed painfully and he felt more coughs rack his body as he expelled some of the water that had made its way into his lungs. Dark chuckled lightly as if laughing at the silly antics of a child, it made Twilight’s burn with an imputant rage. Dark stretched a lazy hand toward him again but stopped when an arrow zipped past his fingertips and buried itself between him and Twilight. 

“Touch him again, I dare you,” Warriors shouted, eyes blazing with so much anger that Twilight was sure that if looks could kill, Dark would be a smoldering pile of ash. Warriors stood in the ankle deep water, his narrow frame poised protectively in front of the collapsed heroes on the sandy bank. His arm was raised, bow in hand and another arrow nocked and ready to fire. 

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Dark asked, his voice dripping with contempt as he stood from his place next to Twilight. Warriors snarled and drew the arrow back just a bit farther. Dark took a half step forward having seemingly lost interest in Twilight all together.

“Leave this place now shadow, or else I will skewer you with arrows,” Warriors commanded, and Twilight could see the barest tremble in his hand that held the bow. 

“Come now, you aren’t even going to demand I bring your little friends back?” Dark groused and put his hands on his hips. 

“Why bother, we all know you consider this whole thing to be a game. You must think it entertaining, you bastard,” Warriors spat and Twilight noticed that the slight tremble was starting to grow more noticeable. 

“Not as stupid as you look.” Dark said as he gave a light stretch and a smile. Twilight thought his tone almost sounded bored if it wasn’t for the undercurrent of excited energy that colored his voice. “I should be on my way, I have left my guests alone for far too long as it is.” He finished and he began to stroll forward easily. Twilight felt his soul freeze over. No, he couldn’t leave, not now. With a superhuman effort, Twilight worked to get his tired body to obey his will.

“No, Wars, don’t let him leave!” Twilight cried from his place in the water and he clawed desperately at the stones beneath him. His heart raced in panic, the only link connecting them to the others was standing right in front of him and they couldn't just let him leave.

“Be quiet Twi,” Warriors hissed, his eyes never leaving Dark. Dark for his part seemed to be enjoying the attention. 

“Wars, please, that bastard is our only chance to get Sky and Wild back,” Twilight pleaded but Warriors face only hardened more. 

“Enough! Stop begging like a dog, it’s what he wants,” Warriors spat and Twilight recoiled, stung by the rebuke. Warriors refused to look his way and Dark laughed openly at the exchange. 

“So callous! I expected something better coming from a captain of the royal guard.” Dark’s voice had a trill of amusement winding through his words. 

“Leave now, I will not give you another chance.” Warriors sneered, openly ignoring the jab that had been sent his way. 

A bright defiance filled Twilight’s heart and he worked all the more to get his feet under him but it was no use. He was too weak from the near drowning and from whatever poison Dark had cursed them all with. Dark didn’t say anything, just gave a little bow to Warriors before he walked off towards the portal. Twilight just managed to get to his knees when Dark reached the portal, turned and addressed them all. 

“It has truly been a pleasure, I can’t wait to see you all again, very, very soon. I’ll send your regards to your friends. Ta for now!” And with one last jaunty wave and a wink towards Twilight he stepped backwards into the portal and both man and doorway disappeared. 

******

Once the doorway disappeared Warriors dropped his arm, relaxed his tense grip on his bow and sucked in a deep breath of the metal tinged air. He didn’t want to admit it but he was glad that the shadowy bastard was gone. At that thought Warriors felt guilt tingle at the edge of his heart. That bastard had turned Sky against them, had toyed with and then kidnapped Wild and he had just let him go, and he was glad? Warriors forced the thought away, it wasn’t helpful to their current situation. Rising above the silence left behind by Dark’s exit, Warriors heard a soft, half choked voice rise from the spring just in front of him. 

“Wars, how could you?” Twilight whispered from his place in the water. Warriors couldn’t look his way, couldn’t face the pain and betrayal that laid there. He felt himself shutting down, locking away his emotions until later when he had time and quiet. The group didn’t need emotions, they needed a direction and a new plan. Slipping easily into command mode he turned away from Twilight and addressed Four who was in the process of standing. 

“Are you able to help the others into the spring?” Warriors asked tersely and at Four’s slow nod Warriors put away his bow and strode over to Wind who still hadn’t moved. He squatted down next to the boy and brushed his bangs away from his face. His eyelids twitched as he slept and Warriors didn’t want to think about what dreams Dark had forced on him. In one smooth motion he scooped up Wind and walked back into the cold spring water. He heard stumbling footsteps behind him but he didn’t turn around. 

Warriors could feel Twilight’s hard gaze on him but he didn’t acknowledge the glare. Instead he walked Wind over to Time and knelt down. Time looked rough, his breathing was labored and he was shaking hard enough that small ripples formed in the water around him. Warriors wasn’t sure if that was due to the cold water or from pain but either option had him grinding his teeth. This shouldn’t have happened and Warriors felt the cold shard in his heart grow. 

“Time, can you hold him for me? I need to help the others into the spring,” Warriors whispered as he swallowed back his hateful thoughts. Time took a steadying breath and sat down fully in the water, holding out his arms expectantly. Warriors hesitated for a moment before he carefully handed Wind over, keeping hold of him until he was sure Time had a proper grasp on him. When Wind settled in Time’s arms and came fully into contact with the cold spring water he gasped and jerked awake. 

“Oh, ah, what... What the fuck,” Wind muttered as he grabbed at the sides of his head and curled in on himself.

“Language,” Time sighed softly but there wasn’t any real rebuke behind it. He just sounded tired and sad. 

“How do you feel?” Warriors asked carefully and Wind cracked an eye open and gave him a flat look. 

“Like sunshine and ocean spray, what do you think?” Wind said with so much sarcasm and spite that Warriors couldn’t help but be impressed that he was able to muster the energy for it. 

“Good to know kid, I’ll be right back,” Warriors said with a forced laugh as he ruffled Wind’s hair. Wind grimaced and batted at Warrior’s hand irritably as he made to sit up but fell back against Time with a moan. Four and Hyrule came splashing up next to them shortly after and they both landed in the water with weary sighs, clearly spent. 

Warriors bit back his grimace, and forced his face into a stoic calm as he splashed over to where Legend was struggling to stand on the sandy beach. Once he was close enough he grabbed Legend’s arm and helped him stumble his way into the water. Their progress was slow and Warriors could see just how much Legend was struggling. Even with his support Legend seemed to stumble over every stone. His thin frame shuddered with the effort to stay standing and his breathing was distressingly labored. It would seem that the Vet had gotten a larger dose of magic than the others. Warriors grimaced to himself as he puzzled out why that would be. 

He supposed It made sense in a way, considering Legend had acted as the main healer for Wild, he had a lot of contact with that tar. It was a devilish plan, aim for the healers while also weakening and ultimately destroying the group when the healers are down and out? It was damn clever, and thinking about it, it’s a plan he would have considered using as well if he was in Dark’s shoes. Warriors footsteps faltered slightly as they walked, a bad taste filled his mouth as he realized he was in some odd way congratulating Dark on his plan. Warriors ground his teeth, he hated himself for even thinking that way. At the very least he should have seen this coming, he should have guessed that Dark would have no qualms about using a tactic as barbaric as this. He shook his head, poisoned pawn indeed. 

His mind worked ceaselessly as he and Legend hobbled through the deepening water and finally made it to the small group. Twilight had finally stumbled over to the group as well, he was bloodied and soaking wet and looking absolutely furious. Warriors lowered Legend into the chilly water as gently as he could before he straightened and faced Twilight, readying himself for the blow up. 

“You let him go,” Twilight accused, emphasizing the words with sharp jabs of his finger towards Warrior’s chest. 

“And what should I have done? Fight him? Gotten hurt in the process then let him leave? Please tell me, I’m curious” Warriors steamed as he clenched his fists at his sides. 

“You could have tried to stop him! You could have...” Twilight cried out and Warriors snorted loudly, interrupting the tirade.

“Okay, lets say I could have stopped that crazy fuck? Then what?” Warriors shouted and it took all his will power not to shake Twilight. He drew himself back a step and pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few steadying breaths before continuing. 

“I would have had to have somehow over power him, tie him up and then somehow keep him in line while also giving you all the time to heal up. All this is in the vague hope that I would also have been able to somehow get him to comply with our demands,” Warriors said, feeling exasperated and frustrated. Frustrated with Twilight and his refusal to think logically, frustrated at Dark, at himself for not being able to do more. After a steadying breath he lifted his eyes to look at Twilight, he could see the pain that was swirling in his tired cobalt blue eyes. 

There was silence for a beat as they locked eyes and he waited for Twilight’s response. He had expected more yelling, or maybe even stony silence but what he wasn’t expecting was Twilight to suddenly lurch forward and take a swing at him. It was clumsy and slow and clearly not well thought out. Warriors blamed the poison he had been exposed as well as the stress of the past hour, but that didn’t mean he was going to take the blow sitting down. Warriors shifted his weight and easily knocked Twilight’s arm to the side before grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm up and behind his back. Twilight struggled in his grasp but Warriors didn’t let up, he wrapped his free arm across Twilight’s chest and held him close. 

“Stop, just stop Twi,” Warriors growled deep in his throat. He really didn’t want to hurt him but Twilight continued to struggle. Warriors grimaced and hiked Twilight’s arm higher up, forcing him to stop squirming. 

“Listen to me Twi, I know you’re hurting but I will not hesitate to knock you flat on your ass, you need to calm down.” Warriors said as calmly as he could manage. Twilight was still trying to struggle but it was a failing endeavor. He was just on the edge of gasping for air and Warriors could feel the way his constant struggling was weakening as the seconds ticked by. 

“As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not good enough to single handedly fight, capture and force a psychopath to follow our demands,” Warriors said furiously when after another minute of silence only offered more stubborn struggling. 

“Let me go,” Twilight said in a breathless hiss and even though Warriors knew he wouldn’t be able to see it he shook his head. 

“Not a chance, not until you calm down,” Warriors said, his voice came out in a desperate whisper as he continued to hold Twilight close. After another few seconds of struggling Twilight gave a howl of rage that quickly dissolved into a choked sob. Warriors felt Twilight’s legs finally give out and he had to adjust his grip in order not to drop Twilight into the water. 

In one quick motion he spun him around and encircled him into a tight embrace. Twilight made no move to reciprocate the hug but Warriors didn’t mind. He could feel Twilight holding back his misery and Warriors felt woefully unqualified to offer any sort of emotional support. In war you had little time to process anything, let alone emotions when in the midst of battle. Even after the battle was done and he was back at camp he often would disappear into his tent safely out of view of his troops so he could process the day in peace. When you were looked up to lead it didn’t do anyone any good to see you crack. 

So when he joined up with this little band of heroes from the past and future alike he found he had little experience in comforting others. He would often leave that up to Sky or Hyrule but given that Sky was now gone and Hyrule was barely conscious and unable to help, Warriors was on his own. He felt distinctly out of his element and he silently cursed himself for having the emotional awareness of a potato. All he could think to do was squeeze Twilight a little tighter and hoped it would be enough for now. 

“Come on soldier, let's sit down,” He whispered quietly into Twilight’s ear and he could feel the barest nod against his shoulder. Carefully he lowered them both into the spring and he felt a shiver run through his bones. The day was coming to an end and the spring was bathed in the last dregs of golden twilight. He could feel the air around them growing cold and he hoped they didn’t have to wait too long in the quickly chilling water. Still Twilight said nothing and when Warriors pulled away from the embrace to look at his face all he could see were dull blue eyes. Twilight it appeared had shut down and that worried him. He had seen it happen in war before and the outcome was rarely good. 

“How long do we have to sit here?” Came a shaky voice from just behind him and Warriors turned to see Wind sitting next to Time, his teeth were beginning to chatter. Stealing himself he turned his attention back to Twilight. 

“You know this spring better than any of us, how does it work?” He asked and was met with a dead eye stare and a slow blink. He paused and tried again. 

“Do we have to pray? Do we just sit here and wait? What do we do?” Warriors persisted and when he still got no reply he felt his temper running short.

“Come on! Snap out of it! We need this spring to heal and you’re the only one who knows how to use it. Please we can’t sit here all night.” Warriors said and he gave Twilight a little shake for emphasis. 

“He’s right pup, you’ve got to come back to us,” Time ventured cautiously and Twilight sighed and closed his eyes. A visible shudder racked his frame and he slouched ever so slightly before opening his eyes once again to stare at his own rippling reflection in the water. Warriors thought his eyes still seemed faded and dulled but now there was something sharp, mean even, in the glare that Twilight gave himself. 

“They’re gone, and I allowed the one person who could bring them back to escape. I might as well have just tossed them through that portal myself,” Twilight whispered bitterly as he bowed his head and prodded at the edges of the slice on his throat. 

That quiet whisper was so full of pain and self-reproach that he felt himself flinch slightly. Warriors didn’t know how to even begin to respond to Twilight’s comment. Anything he could have offered to him now would best case scenario be ignored outright, or worst case scenario get him a punch to the mouth. He looked to the others to see if they had anything to offer but it was apparent they hadn’t heard exactly what was said. Warriors leaned in close, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“I promise, we will get them back. But we need to heal, rest and regroup first. Just...” Warriors started but he didn’t know how to continue. He had given more than his fair share of rousing speeches to embolden his troops when the going got tough, but this was different. He wasn’t trying to convince a battalion, this was his brother. His brother, who was clearly struggling and hurting in a way that he couldn’t even properly express and Warriors didn’t have the slightest clue how to proceed. He didn’t know how to convince a broken man to keep on moving. 

“Just one step at a time,” Warriors whispered imploringly, and squeezed his shoulder ever so slightly. There was a moment when he thought Twilight had just ignored him once again. He hadn’t made a move to acknowledge his words, so he was shocked when Twilight met his gaze. Warriors could see something new sparking in his eyes and Warriors wasn’t sure if he entirely liked that spark. Twilight gave Warriors a tight nod before he slowly got to his feet. 

“Where are you going?” Warriors asked as Twilight wobbled slightly. 

“I’m going to ask for some help,” Twilight said in a monotone,before squaring his shoulders and walking deeper into the spring without another look back. 

********

The air was indeed growing chill as the night crept in around them but Twilight still felt numb and empty. The water grew colder the further into the spring he went but he paid it no mind, it didn’t matter. He could feel eyes on his back, knew they were watching him closely but even that knowledge couldn’t shake the numbness. One step and then the next and before he knew it he felt the thrum of magic at the heart of the spring rumbling through his boots. 

Head bowed, he waited for the spirit of the spring. During his adventure he often would call upon the spirit of the spring for advice or help. But after his quest had ended, the spirit appeared less and less and oftentimes not at all. 

Honestly he was surprised that it had manifested enough to heal Wild at all. Twilight swallowed hard as he remembered how the black smoke poured out from his protégé and his subsequent collapse into the water. He stopped himself before he could tread back over the events immediately afterwards, he couldn’t bear to look at his own failure again just then. 

He watched the water darken with the fading light. The spring seemed lifeless in a way, cold and dead, and his mind pondered the fate of the spirit that resided there. Would it fade into oblivion, or was it merely sleeping? But that was a question to ponder another day. He gave himself a light shake and rolled his shoulders before he spoke quietly into the open air.

“Ordona, can you hear me?” Twilight ventured timidly, as he waited for a response he feared would never come. The wind whistled through the trees, leaves broke away and landed in the water around him. He could hear the other’s shifting in the water behind him. It took a few minutes for the response to whisper through the air and he was both relieved and terrified in equal measures. 

“Little hero, you have seen better days,” Came a gentle voice from all around him. He didn’t lift his head, he couldn’t even bring himself to respond. His heart gave a painful beat and he had to swallow down the lump that formed in his throat. 

“I apologize for today’s events. Truly if I had had another choice I would not have bothered you then or even now for that matter,” Twilight said thickly, his throat felt raw and tight. 

“Why do you apologize? Your calls for help are not a bother. Nor did you have control over the actions of the shadow and his conniving plans,” Ordona’s voice placated gently and Twilight wanted to recoil at the gentle tone. He did nothing to earn their patience, their kindness. There was a weight in the air around him and he felt a pressure building softly all around him. It was gentle and warm and oddly comforting, like a hug. 

“You place too much weight on your own shoulders, you are not responsible for the actions of others, and I hold no ill will towards you or the other heroes,” Ordona soothed and Twilight could feel hot tears streak down his cold cheeks. He didn’t deserve this kindness, he didn’t... 

“That will be enough of that, little hero.” The voice interrupted his downward spiral with ease. Twilight took in a shuddering breath as he tried to bring himself back to the spring, instead of throwing himself down a rabbit hole of despair. He dug his fingernails into his palm in order to ground himself back in the present. The pressure around him built just a little more and he felt himself calm slightly. 

“Do not lose heart and do not allow your courage to falter for you and your fellows are stronger than you realize.” Twilight lifted his head at that last statement but made no move to interject. He could feel the tingle of magic filtering in from all around him. There was a pale glow in the water around him just as it had done for Wild, but it was noticeably dimmer than before. 

“I may not be as powerful as I was, but I shall heal you and your fellows to the best of my abilities,” Ordona’s voice became a whisper on the wind. All Twilight could manage was a weak ‘thank you’ as he felt the warm glow of healing magic gently wash away whatever poison lingered in his veins.

“I am here whenever you are in need.” 

And just like that the spirit of the spring was gone, and the group was left alone in the dying light of day with only the whisper of wind to fill the air around them. Twilight turned around slowly and he felt the world spin causing him to catch himself as he stumbled. He was so incredibly tired and sore, and he supposed it was a mixture of stubbornness and spite that kept him on his feet at this point. He could see the glow in the water around the others, they all had their eyes closed as they each received the divine healing Ordona gifted to them. Warriors looked over from his place next to Legend, as he helped him stay in a sitting position. Twilight held his gaze and offered a small nod which Warriors returned stiffly before he turned his gaze back on to Legend. Twilight sloshed his way back over to the group at large, taking care not to slip on the slick rocks under foot.

“How are they?” He asked Warriors as the healing light began to fade. The others looked about the same as before but he did notice that some tension had bled away from all of them. Warriors opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Legend. 

“I feel like I’ve fallen off a cliff,” Legend slurred from his place in the water as he opened one eye to look around him. When he noticed who was supporting him he made an effort to sit up on his own, before he paused and flopped back onto Warriors, thinking better of his choice to move. Warriors lifted an eyebrow towards Twilight and he offered a small shrug in return.

“Well how about the rest of you?” Warriors called out and received varying replies claiming the same thing. They felt beat up and tired but otherwise better than before. Twilight supposed it could have been worse. 

“What about you Twi?” Warriors asked, his crystal blue eyes searching Twilight’s own cobalt blues as he waited for his response. Truthfully, he felt like he could sleep for about a week straight if he had the chance, and he knew that in the morning he was probably going to feel a more prominent ache. But that was something for him to deal with later, the others were more important. 

“I feel fine, I’ll be fine,” He answered blandly and Warriors offered him a squint in response. It was clear he wasn’t buying it but it seemed like he wasn’t going to call him out for his lie either. 

“Is everyone okay to move?” Twilight asked tiredly and was met with a chorus of equally tired nods and groans in affirmation. 

“Perfect, let’s get out of the water before we all freeze,” He said, rubbing his hands together to regain some of the heat he had lost. 

“Good idea, I can start a fire and if we find a relatively safe spot we can all rest without...” Warriors began but Twilight was already shaking his head. A low tired chuckle worked its way free from his throat. 

“I have a better idea, follow me.” He said as he bent down and helped Four to his feet. Twilight shot Warriors a glance from the corner of his eye as he moved on to help Hyrule to his feet. Warriors had a skeptical look plastered across his fine features and Twilight fought down a stab of annoyance that bloomed his chest. 

It took a few minutes to get everyone on their feet and moving away from the spring and down the road. Before heading off on their way Twilight took stock of the group. By far the ones the worst for wear were their healers Legend and Hyrule. They both looked dead on their feet and Twilight worried they wouldn’t make it the short trip down the road. He apparently wasn’t alone in his assessment because Warriors took one look at them and shook his head.

“Alright, I’m going to carry one of you. Who will it be?” Warriors asked with a steely look in his eye. Legend raised a brow and jerked his thumb towards Hyrule. 

“Take ‘Rule, he needs it more than me, I can manage,” Legend said pointedly ignoring the glare Hyrule sent his way. Warriors nodded and knelt down in front of Hyrule and waited for him to climb on his back. Twilight nodded easily and moved to stand in front of Legend.

“Come on Legend, you’re up,” He said and Legend balked. 

“I’ll be just fine, I’m not a child,” He sneered and Twilight leveled a stern look at him. Without another word he gently poked Legend and watched as he stumbled and nearly fell. 

“Yeah, just fine. Quit being an obstinate ass and let me help you.” Twilight snapped and after a few more minutes of tired arguing Twilight was hefting Legend up on his back. Once everyone was situated comfortably Twilight lit his lantern and took the lead as he led them down the pathway. 

It was only a matter of about ten minutes of walking to get to their destination. Nestled amongst the trees of the clearing was the treehouse Twilight called home. A wave of nostalgia crashed over him at the sight as he looked at the roughly carved wood of the ladder. Memories floated in and out of head as he took in the sight of his home. He remembered when he had to fix some of the rungs on the ladder after one of the kids had used it as a springboard of sorts and broke it. He shook his head as more memories flitted around his tired thoughts and began walking towards the ladder. 

As they approached Twilight had the ridiculous feeling of self-consciousness settle on his shoulders. He had left in a hurry and he didn’t quite remember how he had left the place. He hoped it wasn’t too messy. It had been months since he’s been home and he was both excited and nervous at the same time. Once they reached the base of the tree he turned to face the group. 

“Welcome to my home, it’s small, but there should be enough room for everyone,” Twilight said as he hung his lantern on a hook next to the ladder. Its light was enough to illuminate the rungs before them. Time eyed the ladder carefully as if he was worried about it supporting their weight. Twilight caught his eye and offered a wan smile. Time offered his own encouraging smile and gestured for him to lead the way. He nodded and jostled Legend to get his attention. 

“Alright, I’m going to climb up, make sure you have a grip,” Twilight warned as he faced the ladder. He waited a moment and heard a tired sigh from Legend and the distinct feeling of hands being buried in the pelt on his back. 

Twilight made quick work of the ladder and pushed the door open to the darkened room. The hinges gave a low moan as if they too were tired. The house smelled lightly of dust and earth and the floorboards creaked with each step. Twilight walked over to a chair covered in blankets and as gently as he could dropped Legend onto the plush surface. Legend gave a light sneeze as dust puffed out from his landing but made no other comment. Twilight grimaced but forced the urge to clean to the back of his mind. He could hear the others making their slow way up the ladder and he wanted to get the fire started. 

He walked through the darkened house with ease and grabbed some wood from next to the fireplace and struck a match. The fire was slow to build and he nursed it as he called out for the others to make themselves at home. He could hear the others as they fanned out through the dimly lit bottom floor of the house. Someone collided with the edge of the table just behind him and he snickered as that was followed by a string of curses. He forced his amusement down but didn’t bother to turn around, instead he gave instructions on where to find more blankets and to where the pantry was. 

After about ten minutes the room was filled with light and warmth and various sleeping spaces were set up all over the floor. When Twilight was satisfied that everyone had changed clothes, had some food and were resting comfortably he gathered up all the wet clothes and hung them up to dry by the fire.

“Twi, come and rest. You look like you’re about ten seconds away from collapsing,” Four called out to him from underneath a pile of spare pelts one of them had found in an old chest in the basement. Twilight offered him a smile and a little shake of his head. 

“I’m fine, I just want to get some fresh air before it gets too late,” He said easily and Four gave him a quick once over before he nodded and laid down. Everyone seemed to be in different states of rest and sleep. Legend hadn’t moved from the chair that he had dropped him in when they first arrived. Hyrule had somehow managed to squeeze himself next to Legend on the chair, and then someone, Time probably, had draped a thick blanket over them both. They were sleeping peacefully, Legend had an arm thrown over Hyrule’s shoulder and Hyrule was curled up as best he could with the space provided.

Time was slumped over where he leaned against the wall nearest the fireplace, arms crossed over his chest and head leaned up against the wall. His slow breaths ruffled the hair that fell over his face. Twilight walked over quietly and laid a thick blanket across his mentor’s shoulders and surreptitiously checked his forehead for any signs of fever. Time had spent a fair amount of time in the water and Twilight wouldn’t be surprised if he fell ill. Hell if Time did get sick, he would probably go on to deny it too. Twilight didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry at that thought, he couldn’t bear it if one of them got sick on top of everything else that was happening. 

He turned to face the room again and scanned it finding the dark corner where Wind and Warriors were laying against a small pile of blankets. Wind was wrapped up in the Captain’s scarf and breathing steadily, the occasional twitch signaling that he was dreaming. He couldn’t see the Captain’s face, but judging on his body language it appeared that he too was fast asleep. Twilight let out a small huff of relief and very carefully slipped out of the tree house. 

He didn’t go far, just a little ways out into the woods where he could see the light of familiar stars above him. The forest around him was quiet, the only sounds were his feet crunching of leaves, small rocks, the splash of water as he trod through puddles and the hoot of an owl. Before too long he found a place to rest and he sat down gratefully. The fallen log wasn’t the most comfortable place to rest but he didn’t much care just then. He just wanted to be left alone, just for an hour and then he would go back. 

He leaned down resting his upper body on the tops of his legs and let his head dangle. He was tired, so very tired but he felt like he couldn’t rest. His brain while feeling empty and numb was also a buzzing bee’s nest. However there was no variety in his thoughts just the same loop on repeat. No time to waste, find and destroy Dark, get the other two back, better hurry. He stared blankly at a puddle at his feet, the dark water reflected the stars above and he watched them flicker and spark in endless twinkling. 

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that but he was sure it wasn’t an hour when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming his way. He sighed, he probably should be concerned but at that point he almost wished a bokoblin would show up just so he had something else to focus on rather than the endless looping thoughts.

“So this is where you disappeared to,”

Twilight tilted his head to the side to look at the newcomer with bleary eyes. It took a moment but it didn’t take long for the slender figure standing before him coalesce into a bedraggled Warriors. Twilight eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. His hair was mussed, shirt rumpled and missing his blue scarf as well as looking as exhausted as Twilight felt. 

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Warriors asked as he rubbed at his eyes. Twilight just offered him a snort in response before letting his head fall forward again to resume staring blankly at the puddle between his feet. 

“So what, you’re just going to sit out here and mope?” Warriors pressed, his voice holding a forced levity that rubbed against Twilight’s frayed nerves. He could feel Warriors weight settle on the log next to him. A tiny bubble of anger threatened to burst in his chest and he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. 

“What can I say I have a lot on my plate,” He said bitterly, he could feel Warriors stare on his back but he refused to lift his eyes. 

“You aren’t alone you know,” Warriors said softly and Twilight balled his fists in his pants. 

“Could have fooled me,” Twilight muttered, his stare so intense he was surprised that the puddle hadn’t boiled away. 

“That’s not fair Twilight,” Warriors said reproachfully “We did our best, there wasn’t much for us to do. We will get them back. Honestly what is the matter with you?” He asked and Twilight sat up fully and finally turned his way. He desperately wanted to snap and yell at him, but one look at Warriors tired eyes stopped him. He took a steadying breath and focused on keeping himself calm.

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m feeling, Goddess I don’t even know,” He sighed and put his head in his hands. 

“I guess it’s like I’m a dog worrying away at a bone...” Twilight said, feeling as Warriors shifted uncomfortably next to him. Twilight couldn’t look his way, a strange mix of anger and sadness pulled at his thoughts and he just wanted to be alone.

“I need to apologize to you Twilight. I should have never addressed you like that,” Warriors said as he too leaned forward on his elbows and stared out into the forest. Twilight felt an odd sense of surprise at the apology, he never thought he would get one. They didn’t speak for a little while, the only noise that filled the space between them was the wind whistling softly through the trees. 

“You know, I don’t make it a habit of telling people what I can do.” Twilight said softly, lifting his head so he could rest his chin on his hands. Warriors said nothing as he waited for Twilight to continue.

“The few people that have found out, either through the grapevine or rumors or what have you, have without fail have made subtle jokes about me being nothing better than a dog.” Twilight began emotionlessly. He could feel Warriors turning to look his way, but he didn’t want to look at him. Instead he continued. 

“Some have openly called me a mongrel. Hell, I’ve even had rocks thrown at me.” He paused for a moment when he heard Warriors soft exclamations of anger but only shook his head.

“Don’t hold it against them, they associate me with a beast, a mindless killer that decimates livestock and makes their lives difficult.” Twilight said softly. 

“That doesn’t make it right,” Warriors continued hotly and Twilight could only nod slowly. 

“No it doesn’t, but I have come to terms with it.Sure I feel free when I allow myself to transform, but I tell no one about it if I can help it. This ability of mine, it is my burden to bear alone. Or it was until I met this little band of misfits.” He said with a sad little chuckle. 

He glanced over at Warriors and noticed that he was biting his lip. He could see Warriors running through the early months of their adventure where he would disappear on ‘patrols’ only to have a wolf wander into camp, and watch until he would ‘return’ from his ‘patrol’. It had taken a lot of courage and a nip of alcohol, but eventually he had finally come clean about his ability. Twilight remembered how he couldn’t meet eyes with anyone in the group for days. Now with this new information out in the open it was clear that Warriors understood why now. Twilight’s throat felt dry and he swallowed roughly but found he couldn’t continue. 

“I’m sorry, I truly am. If I had known, what you’ve been through… Well, I just hope you can forgive me for my poor word choice. I also hope you understand that I will do everything in my power to get our brothers back. I wish there could have been more I could have done, but, I...” Warriors started but Twilight leaned back and gently clapped him on his shoulder, stopping him mid sentence. 

“I do forgive you, it’s not like you guys were aware of that particular part of my history. And I hope you can forgive me for acting poorly. They’re my brothers, but they are your brothers as well. I shouldn’t have insinuated that you stood idly by,” Twilight said with a soft smile that slowly morphed into a little grimace. 

“I also shouldn’t have tried to punch you in the face, I’m sorry about that too,” He finished lamely as he coughed lightly into his hand. Warriors couldn’t hide the small smile that turned the corners of his mouth up. 

“We will get them back, but first we need to rest. You especially Twi,” Warriors said firmly, his hand coming to rest on Twilight’s back. He felt himself sag forward slightly, Warriors was right. He felt completely drained and he would be lying if he said sleeping in his own bed didn’t sound nice. His eyes drifted to the puddle again and he watched the starlight flicker and dance. 

He watched curiously as he saw something shift in the water. He squinted and he thought he could see a faint outline of a silhouette deep in its depths. He leaned closer to get a better look but just as he thought he could make out a flash of bright blue eyes, ripples suddenly burst across the surface of the puddle and obscured the image. Twilight pulled himself to his feet before he knelt next to the puddle and waited for the ripples to subside. Warriors made noises of curiosity but Twilight waved him off. After a minute the ripples finally calmed but all he could see in the still water was twinkling stars.

“Twi, are you okay?” Warriors asked tentatively as Twilight slowly got to his feet. He wasn’t sure himself to be honest. He wasn’t sure what he had just seen was his mind playing tricks, or if, somehow, he had just seen cub in the puddle. Twilight shook his head, he must have been seeing things, but still the thought lingered. 

“I’m fine, I just thought I saw... I don’t know, I must be more tired than I thought.” Twilight said dismissively. Warriors gave him a skeptical look but slowly nodded his head. 

“Alright, how about we head back to your house. I think it’s time for us to get some rest,” Warriors said with a yawn. Twilight offered his own yawn and nodded as he stumbled forward slowly. Warriors wrapped his arm around his shoulders and together they made their slow way back to the others who were slumbering peacefully back at the house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! did you know me and my fellow angstketeers made a discord? Well you do now! Come join us, we don't bite, much....  
> https://discord.gg/cZd5a9D2  
> You can also follow me on tumblr at SecretlySheikah if you wanna see chapters faster, or if you want to shoot me an ask.


	3. Fun and Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its all fun and games unless you're playing some of Dark's games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is here and I hope you're ready! Sorry for leaving you all hanging ;)  
> As always, I update my tumblr first so if you want to read the new chapter quicker check out my blog SecretlySheikah.  
> I love you all and I hope this chapter finds you well!

“Run away little hero, run away while you still can! I know you have it in you, just ask those champion friends of yours!” Sky’s voice drifted after Wild as he let himself be swallowed by shadows. Sky continued to laugh and jeer at him and he desperately tried to block out the noise as he inspected the trees nearby. It was almost impossible, and his heart ached with each new insult that was shot his way, but he continued forward nonetheless. 

He wandered around the darkened trees conscious of not straying too far away even as his brain demanded he put more distance between himself and Sky. He could still hear the insults and laughter floating after him in the dark. He continued to try his best to block them out but it was proving to be a lot more difficult than he had expected. Something about hearing insults and crazed laughter coming from a person who he considered a brother hurt all the more. He took a steadying breath and focused on the task at hand as he inspected the trees for the best place to watch and rest. He thought he was getting better at blocking out Dark’s tirade when an insult that came filtering through the trees made him stumble over a hidden root. 

“Such a coward like the supposed champion, is unworthy of the hero’s mantle!” 

Wild swallowed hard, he knew logically that it wasn’t actually Sky throwing insults at him but that one had cut him to the quick. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder if that was what Sky really thought of him. He grit his teeth, he knew better, this wasn’t his brother, right? He stopped walking and leaned his head against a tree, forcing his racing thoughts to slow. This wasn’t Sky, it couldn’t be Sky, he took another deep breath before he started to walk again. It was just Dark using Sky’s voice that was all. But he couldn’t stop himself from feeling the sting of the words, couldn’t stop the thought from burrowing deep into the back of his mind. 

Wild took a few more moments to compose himself as he walked up to one of the larger trees he could find and inspected it thoughtfully. It looked promising, it was tall, close but not too close to the camp and the limbs were a fair distance from the ground. It would be a great place to rest for the night while also being close enough to watch Sky when or even if he left the camp in pursuit. Wild pursed his lips and thought it over? What if Sky wandered too far to see him in the gloom? He would be forced to get out of the tree to follow, then he would be vulnerable. He could stay on the ground, but he knew he wouldn’t get any rest at all if he did that. Though it would give him more freedom and better ways to evade Sky. Wild rubbed his forehead in irritation, he needed to stop doing this, he was running himself in circles yet again. He had to come to terms that there was no way he couldn’t plan for every possibility and overthinking would just get him nowhere. 

Wild let out a frustrated groan, he used to know what to do when he was on his adventure. He never used to second guess himself like this and he couldn’t fathom why he was starting now. This was not the time to be indecisive and he had to get himself together. Had traveling with a group really zapped him all his decision making skills? Before he could think anymore of it he grabbed the trunk of the tree and began his climb to the branches above.

It was tough climbing the tree, the bark was loose in some places and would come away in his hands unexpectedly causing him to scramble for a better purchase on the trunk. He could feel the slice on his back burn with the effort and his weakened arm made the climb harder than it needed to be but he continued on. After a few minutes of awkward climbing and sliding down the trunk more times then he cared to admit he finally managed to find a place to rest amongst the branches. He settled into the boughs and the leaves and took a moment to just breathe and wallow in his misery. He could still faintly hear the unhinged laughter and taunts coming from the camp in the distance and he knew it was time to set Sky free. 

Carefully he maneuvered himself so he was facing the light in the distance. From this vantage point he could see the fire flickering and the shadowy form of Sky still dangling from the tree. He judged the distance for a moment before he turned to his slate to pick the appropriate bow for the job. The screen flared to life and Wild had to blink the spots out of his vision for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the sudden light. When he was able to see again he scrolled quickly through his inventory until he got to his large array of bows. He took a moment to consider the distance once again before deciding on one of his longer ranged bows. Summoning an arrow he took careful aim as he drew back and saw that Sky was suddenly not alone. 

Wild froze and slowly lowered the bow as he squinted towards the clearing. It had to be Dark, who else could it be in this crazy place. But how did he get there? Wild hadn’t heard anything suggesting someone else had joined them in the woods. It was possible that he just hadn’t heard the subtle pop and crackle, considering he wasn’t listening for that cue just then. Though the more he thought about it there hadn’t been any strange sounds breaking the eerie silence of the woods, he was sure of it now. He took a closer look this time, really examining the shadowy figure that sat in front of Sky. It was smaller, though it was hard to judge considering it seemed to be slouching in front of the small fire. He continued to stare and for a moment he thought he could see the light of the fire flicker through the figure. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, he couldn’t tell if he was imagining things or not. 

Another thing struck him then, the near constant jabbering and laughing had also stopped as well and in its place he could hear the sound of a hushed conversation filtering through the trees. He strained his ears and tried to make out the words but he couldn’t make them out clearly. He was at a loss for what to do. Should he cut Sky down, or wait until the coast was clear? He didn’t want to risk exposing his location if Dark really was there, but at the same time he couldn’t just leave Sky hanging there. Would Dark even cut him down? 

A flurry of different thoughts spun around in his brain and for a moment he felt distinctly light headed as he tried to figure out just what to do. His mind was made up however when Sky suddenly let out a tortured howl from his place in the tree and began to writhe like a worm on a hook. Something snapped in Wild’s head and heedless of the consequences he lifted his bow and shot an arrow right at the figure sitting before the fire. 

Time slowed to a crawl and before the arrow had even made it to his target he had another arrow aimed for the rope attached to the tree and fired. Just as the first arrow shot through the figure his second arrow severed the rope cleanly and Sky plummeted to the ground below. Wild could tell that it was a hard landing but he didn’t have time to ponder that fact as the figure split into shards before reforming into four smaller versions of the figure. They let out a unified laugh as they stood and turned to face the darkened woods. 

“Shit,” Wild cursed as he frantically tapped on his slate to dematerialize his bow and without another thought leaped down from the tree. He rolled when he hit the ground and prayed that he hadn’t made too much noise. His head snapped around to look behind him for a moment when he heard the sound of running footsteps behind him and without much time to think on it he picked a direction and darted away into the trees. 

************ 

Sky swung gently from the tree as he watched Wild disappear into the shadows of the woods. He could barely hear himself think over the clamor of voices that ricocheted around his skull and the insults that continued to pour from his mouth. He had questions, mainly what was Dark talking about when he told Wild to ask his fellow champions about running away? Wild had told the group about his adventure, sure, but he never really went into detail. 

They knew that Wild had failed in his first confrontation with Ganon, and that his fellow champions had died that terrible day. Wild had explained that it took him a long time to recover and that he had suffered memory loss due to the process and that he was still suffering the effects even to this day. But in the end Wild had destroyed Ganon and had brought peace to his era of Hyrule and that was all he felt that they needed to know. Wild didn’t give much information beyond that but that was okay, he was entitled to his privacy. Though now after hearing Dark’s comment, Sky would be lying if he said his curiosity hadn't peaked. 

‘The champion is a coward,’ Dark scoffed and the other voices cackled their agreement in his head. 

“Such a coward like the supposed champion, is unworthy of the hero’s mantle!” Dark shouted out loud in Sky’s own voice, and if Sky had any control over himself he would have shut his mouth and would have never spoken again. That wasn’t true, Wild was a hero through and through. Dark lied and he prayed that Wild wouldn’t listen to those lies. A soft chuckle rippled through his head and tickled at the edges of his vocal cords.

‘Think what you will, sky child,’ Dark’s amused voice drifted through the noise and Sky felt a shiver run through him. 

‘I can tell that you are curious, maybe one day I’ll share the champion’s story. I would love to see what you think of him then,’ Dark crooned softly and Sky hated feeling the thrill of excitement that rushed through him over the possibility of learning the whole story. 

Sky forced the feeling down angrily and tried to focus on other things. Dark just laughed softly again and went back to jeering at the now disappeared hero. Sky instead decided to focus on the ropes that dug in painfully around his wrists. His weak concentration was broken once again however when he felt his throat constrict with the mocking laughter that tumbled from his lips once again and he fought harder to gain back control over his own body. That was easier said than done however, his thoughts felt scattered and slow and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t force his body to move.

“My my this is painful! Oh champion! Won’t you cut us down?” Sky’s voice called out sadly before it turned into more unhinged laughter and insults. Dark continued his taunting and Sky wished Dark would just shut up. 

Gritting his metaphorical teeth, Sky slowly worked to gather his focus. He needed to find an anchor for his mind to hold on to and gather his trailing thoughts back to center. He focused on the ropes around his wrists first, feeling how they bit and tore into his skin as his gentle swinging slowed to a stop. The pain was a constant burn around his wrists, and the strain of his weight against the rope only added a sense of numbness and tingling to his fingertips. His shoulders cried out in a unified chorus of misery but even that wasn’t enough to break the metaphorical chains that wrapped him tight. Sky desperately wanted to free himself, to find Wild and not feel so alone but he knew he was still locked in. And even if he somehow regained control, it would be too risky to get close to Wild again. He shoved the despairing thought away and retreated back into himself. 

Sky pushed the laughter and jeering taunts in his own voice away, relegating them to the background as he returned his focus back to regaining control. He focused on the blood slowly working it’s way down his arms. Mentally traced it’s path as it wormed its way down under his sleeve. He could feel the thin trickle of heat as it wound down his side and finally pooled at his hip where his belt wrapped around his waist. 

He turned his attention to the pull in his shoulders next when he felt one of his fingers twitch. He froze and very carefully focused on moving his fingers again. His heart soared when he felt his middle finger give the slightest of twitches. It was small, but it was enough hope for him to cling to for now.

Sky was so focused on regaining control that he almost missed that the constant stream of insults and laughter had slowed to stop. The small camp had fallen eerily silent, the only sound the crackling of the fire and the slight creaking of the rope on the branch as he hung there. Even the voices in head seemed to have fallen quiet and Sky didn’t know how to feel about the sudden return to semi-normality.

“I would have thought the champion would have taken pity on you by now and cut you down,” Dark said as he lounged in front of the fire and pretended to warm his hands by the fire. Sky jerked in surprise as he looked at the figure sitting in front of him. He blinked a few times and tried to get his tired mind to focus. Four was sitting in front of him, dressed all in black and looking ever so slightly off. His skin was way too pale and his eyes were ever so slightly too large and stretched a little too tight at the corners. His smile was off too, it seemed too sharp and hungry to be the real Four. It was like looking at a doll, and the uncanny nature of the fake Four made him want to shrink away if he had any control over his movements. 

“What’s the matter, at a loss for words?” The not Four said and if Sky had any doubts about who this person was they were cast away in a flash of understanding. This was Dark masquerading as Four in some sick form of parody. As Dark shifted Sky noticed something else odd, the firelight didn’t seem to be reflecting on Dark. In fact the light seemed to be absorbed into him. His tired and abused brain couldn’t make sense of the information so he just let it be for now. Sky could only blink, he didn’t know what to say even if he could speak. Even so he tried to say something but his mouth remained shut tight. The muscles unyielding, his vocal cords frozen so not even a hum escaped him.

“Ah, that’s right,” Dark Four said as he leaned back and smacked himself lightly on the forehead with the heel of his hand. 

“I forgot, it’s kind of hard to respond if I don’t let you huh?” He asked with a small laugh before he shrugged and waved his hand. Sky felt the subtle way his muscles relaxed and he could feel his body begin to tremble slightly as he felt his consciousness begin to take back control once again. He sucked in a breath and worked his newly freed jaw and revelled in the feeling of being able to move once again.

“How?” Sky croaked and found that his throat felt absolutely shredded and raw. Dark smiled happily at him and Sky reeled at how much he looked like Four in that moment. Dark gave him a little wink and slowly put his hand in the fire. Sky watched in fascination as his hand dissipated like shadows in the flames, as if it weren’t there.

“That’s not really important right now,” Dark said as he withdrew his hand and made a show of waving it back and forth, clearly unharmed and whole. 

“So what, you’re just a copy? A shadow of sorts?” Sky asked dismissively. He was not in the mood for another one of Dark’s games, he already had his fill for that day. He instead turned his attention to the rope above him. Maybe if he could lift himself up he could get enough slack to free one of his hands. Sky tried to get a grip on the rope but found his hands had gone completely numb and clumsy. 

“Oh no, it's a tad more complicated than that.” Dark said as he leaned forward and plucked a leaf off the ground and spun it between his fingers idly. Sky stopped his clumsy attempts at trying to grasp the rope above him and looked down at Dark. 

“Why are you even here? Just to be irritating?” Sky asked exasperatedly as he tried once again to raise himself up high enough to free a hand. Sky ignored the indignant gasp Dark let out as he made another grab for the rope. Dark’s cryptic double talk never seemed to go anywhere and trying to unravel it only wore away the energy he could be using to free himself.

“Temper, temper, honestly I thought you were the more patient of the group.” Dark said as he tossed the leaf aside and graced Sky with a baleful look. 

“You’ll have to pardon me, I’ve had a long day.” Sky shot back, letting himself fall back down to hang by the rope with a hiss, no closer to freeing himself. Sky offered him a glare, heedless of Dark’s quickly souring mood. 

“I’ll let it slide this time. But since you seem to be dying to know, I’m waiting.” Dark said clearly miffed. 

“Waiting? Waiting for what?” Sky asked, eyeing Dark with a questioning stare.

“For the next game to start of course,” Dark said with a shake of his head. “Honestly, I really need to stop expecting anything intelligent to come from you people.” Dark scoffed as he leaned back and looked around that darkened woods once more. 

“Game? What game?” Sky said confusedly, his brain clearly wasn’t up to the task of puzzling out what the madman meant. 

“Tag,” Dark said simply.

“Tag? What makes you think Wild is going to even...” Sky started but was cut off by a low chuckle that came bubbling out from Dark. Sky didn’t like the sound of that.

“Don’t worry, he’ll make himself known. All I have to do is wait, and maybe have a little fun,” Dark said with a wink and Sky was definitely sure he did not like that. If he had learned nothing from this previous experience of the past few hours, he knew that Dark’s version of ‘fun’ should be avoided at all costs. Sky licked his lips as he thought about what he was gonna say next.

“Wild isn’t an idiot, he wouldn’t just...” Sky floundered for the words but found himself lacking. Dark raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue. When it was clear that Sky didn’t have much else to say, Dark clapped his hands and gave him a smug look.

“I know that boy isn’t an idiot, but I do know one thing, he is impulsive,”

Sky felt pain explode like a bomb behind his eyes and he felt his head rock back as if he had been struck. He tried to breathe through the pain but he was quickly finding it to be a losing battle as a small whimper slipped from his lips. Sky bit down hard against the sound, unwilling to cry out. He heard Dark click his tongue in minor annoyance.

“You know sky child, you make things a lot more difficult for yourself. Just call for help, save yourself the pain,” Dark wheedled, voice full of false concern. Sky grit his teeth and felt his chest rise and fall rapidly as he worked to overcome the pain. He heard a long suffering sigh before the pain behind his eyes became a white hot inferno. After another long moment the pain rocketed down his spine and radiated out across his chest. It Squeezed at his heart and filled his lungs with boiling water and completely overshadowed the world. 

He tried, he really tried but he couldn’t bear the pain silently anymore and the tortured howl that left his mouth sounded foreign to his own ears. He writhed heedless of the damage he might be causing to his own wrists with his thrashing around. Through the tears in his eyes he could just make out the sharp smile that spread across Dark Four’s face. Then as the pain reached a zenith an arrow shot through the figure’s chest and shattered the form of Four into a thousand pieces. The pain stopped in an instant but there was no time to feel relieved as a second arrow sliced the rope tied to the tree cleanly in two. Sky felt his stomach lurch into his throat as he fell, and a surprised yelp left him as he hit the ground hard.

New sensations of pain flared throughout his body and he was left gasping for a moment as he looked around and tried to get his bearings again. He worked his hands free of the rope clumsily and tried to push himself up but there was simply no strength to be found in his arms. Sky flopped onto his side for the second time that night and watched as the shards of shadows that were once Dark reform into four smaller versions of Four with an odd echoing laugh. 

The small pose stood and turned before three of them darted off in the general direction of where the arrows came from. Sky cursed softly at their departure and clawed at the ground as he felt some sensation come back to his fingertips. How? What was even happening? His mind couldn’t keep up with the rapidly dissolving situation. Too many things were happening all at once but he knew none of it was going to be good. The last of the Fours paused and turned towards him before squatting down to look at him.

“Don’t worry! We’ll keep your friend entertained, you can count on us. You just stay here and sleep,” Dark Four said kindly, as he reached out and rested a hand on Sky’s shoulder. At the word ‘sleep’, Sky felt a reverberation rumble through his head as an invisible weight pressed in on him. Darkness bled into his consciousness and his head lolled as the command tried to drag him away. Sky sucked in a deep breath and shook his head in a poor attempt to clear it. He almost missed the sneer that flitted across Dark Four’s face as he stood, and clenched his hands at his sides. Sky offered him a defiant glare back at him and continued to battle the darkness back, determined to fight until he couldn’t anymore. 

“Stop fighting, you need your rest, sky child. Now sleep.” Dark said again, but this time the command was overt and powerful. The light weight that had settled on him now was suddenly as though one of Wild’s stone taluses was laying on top of him and he felt himself let out a heavy sigh. Sky had just enough time to see Dark turn and run into the trees before the immeasurable weight of the spell snuffed out his consciousness like a candle and he knew nothing more. 

**********

“Stupid, stupid, I’m an absolute moron,” Wild seethed as another eager shout from behind him told him that he was spotted once again by another one of the figures. Wild sighed and left the comfort of his temporary hiding spot and ran off further into the foreign forest. 

He continued to duck and dodge around trees and boulders as quickly and as quietly as he could. But no matter how quickly he ran, no matter what direction his feet carried him, he could still hear his pursuers running around him. Searching, calling after him like a demented game of blind mans bluff, accept he felt like the blind one. He couldn’t understand how they were able to spot him so easily. The only guess he had was that they could see in the gloom where he found himself close to blind in the darkness. One thing stuck out to him however, the shadowy figures, while certainly making it a point to chase him never seemed to be actively trying to catch him either. 

After another few more minutes of blind running, Wild found a little copse of trees with thick thorn bushes at its base, and without too much thought he stealthily slid into the thick brambles. He ignored the burn of the thorns as they grabbed at his skin and just worked at catching his breath. He could hear the figures moving around, calling to each other as they searched for him. The voices would come close but then drift away which Wild took as a good thing. They were spreading out and while that didn’t sound good, it meant they didn’t know exactly where he had gone. As the minutes ticked on the voices grew more faint and he felt himself start to relax slightly. That was until he heard a familiar voice call out to him in a fervent whisper. 

“Wild? Sky? Is anyone there?” 

Startled, Wild peeped out from his hiding spot and watched as a shadow flickered between the trees. It was small, like the other figures that were chasing him but the way it peeked around trees before moving off made it look like it was hiding too. Wild’s heart sank as he thought he recognized the head that poked out from behind the tree about fifty yards ahead of him. 

He waited for a few more minutes and was rewarded when the small darted from his hiding place and made for a grouping of trees nearby. Wild was just able to see a glimpse of pale blonde hair and a familiar headband before the figure was obscured by the trees once again. Four. He didn’t know how it was possible, had Dark dragged Four here along with him and Sky and he hadn’t noticed? It seemed unlikely but not impossible. Four could have been dumped somewhere else when they landed in this place. Portals weren’t an exact science and who knew what the rules were when it came to traveling through them. 

There was a sound of a snapping twig, followed by a meaty thump of an arrow hitting something soft. A cry from the trees as Four came stumbling out into the open. Wild could see blood coating Four’s leg as he tried to move to a new hiding spot, his hand clamped around the shaft of the arrow sticking out from his thigh. 

“Damn it!” Four hissed as he stumbled and almost fell. It was clear he was trying to keep quiet but it was a failing endeavor. Another arrow shot out from the gloom and hit Four in the shoulder, causing him to spin before landing hard on the ground with a pained gasp. Wild felt his heart stop and before he knew it he was bursting out of the brambles and skidding to halt next to Four. His eyes were wide and terrified, and he clutched at the new arrow that was buried deep in his shoulder. 

“Four, how, what, how did you get here?” Wild stammered as laughter rang out from all around the clearing. Four ignored his question and looked around wide eyed as he tried to get back on his feet. 

“Wait, stop, don't move, let me help you,” Wild hissed as he tried to get a better look at the arrows. Wild’s heart leaped, there was a lot of blood and he wondered if the hard landing caused one of the arrows to move and nick an artery. His mind flew through the different possibilities, each one more worrying than the last. Four still hadn’t acknowledged him, which was disturbing and Wild’s hands hovered over the arrow in Four’s leg, hesitant to rip it free just yet. The strange lighting in the in between world made the blood look black as it leaked onto the ground. The laughter grew louder and Wild knew they were running out of time. 

“Hey calm down, look at me,” Wild said imploringly but to no avail, Four only continued to scrabble against the ground in a panic, eyes wide and frantic and still not acknowledging that he was even there. Wild felt his mouth go numb, the animalistic part of his brain commanding him to run but he shoved it away. Four needed help, he couldn’t just leave him there. 

Wild watched as Four’s head continued to whip around, and he tried to get Four to meet his eyes, but Four just seemed to look right through him. Like he wasn’t even there. His brain finally caught on to the wrongness of the whole situation then, and the point was driven home when he reached out to grab the arrow in Four’s leg and his hand passed right through the shaft. As soon as his fingers passed through the arrow Four froze in place, mid scramble, and Wild felt his eyes grow wide in horror. A trap, It was a trap. Wild began to get hastily to his feet but the head of the once frozen Four snapped to the side with a crack to look at him. Four’s hand shot out and grabbed Wild’s wrist hard enough to bruise and a gargled laugh fell from his lips. 

“Got you,” Four said, his mouth spreading into a wide grin that grew wider and wider until his mouth practically bisected his face. His skin quickly started to become transparent and black like shadow. His eyes turned red and began to weep streaks of large white tears. 

“Give me the sword champion,” Four continued his voice becoming muddled and hollow as he began to melt. Four’s hand melded around Wild’s wrist and engulfed his hand before it started to creep up his arm, accompanied by a deathly chill that seeped into his bones. Wild felt his fingertips beginning to numb and he tried to pull away but it was like he stuck his hand in an ice chu. Four’s body lost all shape, melting down into a thick viscous mass but the grip on Wild’s arm never loosened. Wild felt himself gaping like a fish as he watched the gruesome scene unfold before him, his body freezing up in mounting terror and unrefined panic. 

The shadowy blob that was once Four continued to crawl up his arm and was about mid bicep when his brain finally caught up with his panicked stupor. He flailed suddenly and tapped frantically on his slate summoning a short fire blade. In one swift movement he brought the blade down in a fiery arch, slicing the blob away from his arm. He felt the heat of the blade as it grazed past his semi-numbed fingertips and thanked Hylia that he hadn’t just accidently cut off his fingers. The thing let out an ungodly screech that threatened to burst his eardrums causing him to drop the blade to the dirt below. It continued to screech and writhe and Wild scrambled away chest heaving as he covered his ringing ears. 

“The sword! Give me the sword!” The blob screeched as it lurched forward, a melting hand reaching out towards him. Wild felt himself starting to shake as he watched a face grow from the mass, half melted and laughing as it continued to crawl. He felt frozen in place once again, unable to process the horror that he was seeing as his world shrunk down to a single point. It was just him and the mass of shadows crawling quickly towards him and nothing else. The melted blob reached out again, it’s hand making a wet smacking sound against the ground and finally Wild felt the spell break. Without another thought he turned and ran off into the woods with only a garbled laugh trailing after him in his mad sprint through the trees. 

He leapt over fallen trees and large roots, ducked under vines and around rocks. 

Run.

He ran, heedless of any of the figures he might run into, uncaring how far his panicked feet took him away from Sky. 

Run.

His lungs burned, his heart felt close to bursting but he didn’t care, he had to run. He lost track of how long he had been running, and it was only when his arm gave a particularly painful throb that he finally forced himself to stop his mad dash. His throat burned and his muscles ached from exertion and he nearly flung himself down behind a grouping of fallen trees and allowed himself to rest. He was shaking like a leaf in a gale, and he felt like he couldn’t draw in breath so he leaned back against his makeshift resting spot and worked on taking large measured breaths. 

Once he felt a little calmer, and most of the shaking had subsided, he examined his right arm a little closer. His fingertips looked slightly blackened and it looked like his sleeve had been burned away in some places. Carefully he rolled up the fabric of his sleeve and took a look at the skin of his arm with a measured calm. It was hard to see in the dim light but Wild thought he could see a faint swirling pattern of welted skin trail up his arm where the gunk had begun to burn him. He felt tears welling up at the corners of his eyes and he wiped them away with his uninjured hand. He felt tired and more than a little disturbed from what he had just seen and the added stress of his new injury only added to his growing distress. 

“It’s done, I’m safe for now, just calm down.” He whispered to himself as he continued to shake. His arm still felt like it was burning, like it had been trapped in a frozen lake and only now it was starting to warm up again. Wild bit at his lower lip and gently prodded at the skin, feeling how chilled it still felt. He couldn’t see any gunk on his arm or his fingertips but the sensation that the thing was still holding on to him remained. 

Feeling unnerved Wild pulled out his slate and grabbed an old worn shirt and the nearly empty bottle of water he had been using to clean Sky’s hand. He took off his stealthy tunic and carefully poured the water on his arm and wiped at it with the shirt, just to make sure no remnants of the shadow were left behind. Water puddled on the ground below his arm and when he was satisfied that the welts were cleaned he changed into his warm doublet. His arm still ached but he felt a little better knowing it was taken care of. He stowed the empty bottle and old shirt away and took a moment to just sit. His eyes burned, and the adrenaline that had once fueled his mad dash was gone leaving him in an odd floating head space. 

His eyes settled on the puddle of water in front of him, mind empty, breathing slowing as he relaxed. He thought he could see the shimmer of stars in the water and it made his heart long for normality. He missed the others so much it was practically a physical pain in his heart. Wild let out a snort and rubbed at his sore arm, it seemed like all he felt was pain as of late. He settled again and continued to stare into the water not knowing what to do next. 

There was a movement deep within the puddle and Wild blinked slowly at it. He wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him when he saw the movement again and this time he felt his eyebrows knit together in curiosity. He leaned in closer and really looked into the oddly clear water. Something was moving below the surface, he was sure of it. It took a moment but slowly the shape of a person coalesced in the water below, framed by the shimmer of stars. Wild got to his knees and scooted closer, careful not to disturb the small pool below him. 

Cobalt blue eyes stared back at him and he sucked in a breath as he saw Twilight looking back at him. He looked tired. Twilight’s eyes were puffy and slightly red, dark circles hung beneath the lids but he looked okay for the most part. Wild couldn’t help the relieved sigh that left him. Twilight was alive, he was okay and Wild felt a small, relieved sob hiccup from his throat. He watched as Twilight moved closer in the puddle and before he could stop himself he touched the surface of the water. Ripples marred the surface of the still pool and when they finally subsided Twilight and the stars were gone. Wild felt tears fall from the tip of his nose and he buried his face in his hands. A mixture of heady relief at seeing one of his brothers safe and sound mixed with crippling disappointment. Overwhelmed he continued to kneel at the side of the puddle and just let himself drift on the wave of emotions for a while as tears continued to fall between his fingers. 

After who knows how long Wild sat back on his haunches and looked around. The gloom appeared to be lifting slightly and he assumed that meant whatever counted as sunrise was on the way. He needed rest. He needed to find a place safe enough to sleep, and he needed to find it soon. Wiping at his face again and taking another steadying breath he stood on shaky legs and struck out to find a place to rest for however long he could manage.


End file.
